The Skyward Story
by rgmichael
Summary: After Link defeats Demise, he is faced with an obstacle: stay in Skyloft or return to the surface. As Zelda sorts out identity issues, Link finds solace with Pipit, who sparks something within him. Although Link has conquered space and time in his adventures, is he ready to conquer fate?
1. The Tale

Note: Author's Notes are attached at the end of the Epilogue. I didn't want to make a short section of notes at each corresponding chapter, plus they were more of an afterthought. Few things in advance however: this is mostly an adventure fic, however there is a pairing of Link x Pipit so please be aware that there are some mature scenes, reader discretion is advised. I will try and label those parts, so if you're uninterested, you can pretty much skip them. Other than that, please enjoy "The Skyward Story" :)

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Link, Zelda, and Groose had finally returned to Skyloft after the final battle at the Sealed Grounds. Groose had gone ahead of Link and Zelda to begin to tell "The Legend of Groose" as it was now commonly smiled upon. Telling the townsfolk of a new land below, many had grown curious, and awaited Link's return, as it was he who had the most experiences on the surface.

Before ascending, Zelda had asked Link if he had wanted to live on the surface. Of course he wanted to! But, how could he just leave his old life behind willingly. His crimson Loftwing, his training as a knight at the academy, his friends like Pipit and Fledge; he couldn't just leave them all up in the sky, but if they all came down to the surface…

Zelda could clearly tell Link was going through some serious thought when she said "Don't worry Link! We have all the time we want to figure out what to do now!" she smiled, and grabbed his hand; "After all, I don't expect to be seeing any black tornados anymore." They walked over to one of the bird statues, and with Zelda holding on tightly, they went soaring into the sky with the help of the hand stitched sailcloth.

The feast waiting for them at The Lumpy Pumpkin was magnificent. With a fancy chandelier over their heads (he remembered every last rupee that went into buying THAT one), and every citizen from Skyloft seated at one huge table that must have been imported just for the event. People were asking Link questions at each moment, and for a while, that suited everyone's curiosity, but eventually they wanted so much, that he was forced to relive the entire journey; each step, each jump, and each creature.

Link was describing the sceneries from across the surface; the woods, the lakes, the mountains, the desert, the volcano, the mines, the time-shift zones, everything. He told the people about the many creatures that lived on the surface, each new specimen getting a mild or large reaction. When Link finally came to settle on the parts of the story where he helped out a few friends, he had realized that if people wanted to go to the surface, they'd all have to start out in the same area, or else they wouldn't be able to survive.

Once the tale was over, the inevitable question came up, from his friend Pipit, who had been paying extreme close attention the Link the whole time; "Where do we go now?" The room was silent for a few moments, until a mild debate on the different regions came to pass. Most of the speculation was between Faron, and Eldin, as they were the most memorable locations for people's imaginations. Link suggested they start off in Faron, as it was far less hazardous, and much more serene for his preferences. When everyone seemed to be on the same page, it was Pipit again who asked the dreaded question, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but with the cloud barrier still below us, our Loftwings can't follow us. We can't leave them up here. They're part of us."

"Pipit is right, we can't leave them," Zelda spoke up from Link's side, "But as I've already seen, the cloud barrier is weakening, and by the time we're ready for a mass transfer, the Loftwings will be capable of flying directly to the surface. And with the temple already on the ground, the Loftwings will feel a little more at home."

"What if we don't want to leave our home?" This time it was Batreaux who spoke, "I've been trying for so long to become human again so that I could dwell in Skyloft, and I plan on staying in Skyloft."

Some whispering filled the room, as many people half agreed with Batreaux, Zelda however, seemed determined to end up on the surface, "Please. We don't have to do anything. We can just live up here, and on good days, venture on down to the surface. With our Loftwings, that's possible! I think it would be wiser however, to make the surface our permanent home, and Skyloft the place we love to visit. The surface gives us more space, more resources, more knowledge, and as we all know, a future. We weren't intended to live in Skyloft forever, Hylia only made Skyloft to keep humans alive. We're all alive, and I think now, with Link as our guide, moving to the surface will be easier now, not in the future."

Gaepora spoke for the first time all evening, grabbing everyone's attention by clearing his throat, "All in favour of moving to the surface…" Hands began to raise, more hands, and until almost every last hand was in the air, even Batreaux, Link smiled.

It was official.

They were moving to the surface.


	2. A Promise

Everyone had returned to their homes before nightfall, which left Link to himself in his room. He hadn't been completely alone since the journey began. The only stretch of time when Fi wasn't with him was when he had been captured and his belongings taken from him at Eldin Volcano. The silence around him felt strange, and left his eyes to wander around the room. He began to pack his belongings in a rucksack he had in his wardrobe, and he filled his adventure pouch to the brim. After about an hour, his room was almost completely empty of loose belongings, and he sat down on his bed. It was just as comfortable as he remembered. He hadn't properly slept since the day of Wing Ceremony, and he planned on enjoying every last second he had in his bed. He removed his boots, his hat, and his tunic, and was about to remove his white undershirt and white pants when someone knocked on his door. His instincts made him reach over his shoulder to grab a sword that wasn't there, but he quickly realized that it was probably just one of his friends, and walked over to open the door.

Pipit was standing in front of Link, in similar attire as Link; tunic, hat, and boots removed, leaving him in just his white outfit. "Do you mind if I come in?" Pipit asked shyly, "I know you probably don't want to be bothered, but I can't sleep, and I figured you'd be up too." Link moved to the side and gestured for Pipit to enter, closing the door behind him. He hadn't talked with Pipit. Not talked like friends at least. They had conversed several times about tasks and dangers, but not really about anything unimportant, so Link figured Pipit was being bothered with something.

"What's bothering you mate?" Link asked. He was a pretty blunt guy, and he figured he'd be able to get back to bed faster if he just cut to the chase.

"Well, to be honest Link… I'm scared." Pipit had taken a seat at the edge of Link's bed and was looking into his knees. "I'm scared of leaving this place behind."

"It's not like we're leaving forever. We're just relocating our homes. As knights, we'll probably end up using this place as training grounds, where we won't be bothered by kids, and where we'll have the entire sky to ourselves."

"I don't mean leaving Skyloft… I mean leaving this place, as in this place as two friends; me and you." Pipit looked up to Link, who was now kneeling in front of him. "Once we go down there, we'll become super responsible and fooling around won't happen anymore. We'll be stuck as uptight knights who have to show everyone how to do everything."

"Pipit, it's not going to be that different. We're going to be playing the same roles as we do up here, role models, and protectors: nothing more, nothing less. At first I might have to show everyone how to get around, but once we have some maps like mine made, everyone will be just fine."

"I… I just don't want things to be so different. I like things the way they are."

"I promise. Things aren't going to change."

"Well, thanks for talking with me, but, I should probably go take a bath and go to bed." Pipit walked over to the door and Link followed, Pipit opened the door and stood in the doorway, "Who knows, maybe we'll be roommates down there." Pipit smiled and looked into Link's blue eyes. Link stared right back into Pipit's blue eyes. Link had never noticed how Pipit's eyes gleamed with adventure, and made you want to look more at the seas of blue that splashed around.

"Yeah, maybe we will. I mean, we're designing the whole darn village; it shouldn't be too hard to arrange for us to be roommates." Link blushed, but he was sure that the shadows hid it from Pipit. "I'll try and get us a good view." Link chuckled at his own joke, and Pipit smiled too.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." Pipit started walking towards the stairs, but Link thought that he'd want a bath later as well, so he whispered out at Pipit,

"Hey, how long are you going to be in the bathroom? I kind of wanted to take a bath a little later."

"Not too long. I'd say it'd be safe to check in around twenty minutes."

"Cool." Link closed the door as he re-entered his room.


	3. Bathe the Pain Away

Pipit. Pipit. Link couldn't take his mind off of him for even a moment. This was so weird. He had just spent what felt like a lifetime's worth on an adventure to save the girl he thought he loved, and then one conversation with Pipit and the boy was all over his mind. Sure, Pipit was probably the best looking guy in all of Skyloft, and Link agreed with that consensus, but still. Pipit was his friend; his male friend. His male friend, that was just upstairs, taking a bath, probably naked_

No. Link had to take his mind off of him. So he went into his adventure pouch and took out his beetle. He wasn't sure what exactly he was going to do with it, but it was something to fiddle with. Link began to examine the beetle really closely, and he started to count all the dents and scratches it has gotten since he got it in Skyview temple. He figured a few more minutes of rummaging through his stuff would sort out his mind, and he started going through all the items, in the same order he had received them. When he finished going through all the items, Link looked over to his desk, where he had put the empty sword sheath. That was something he still couldn't bear to think about. Fi. She had told him before she left, that she was feeling happiness. He had grown close to Fi throughout their journey on the surface, and now she was gone, forever sleeping in a blade. An eternity of slumber. Such a magnificent being, stored away to keep the evil of Demise at bay, until he faded completely from existence.

He picked up the sheath, and suddenly he felt something; a whisper in the back of his mind. It was a mystic, yet familiar voice, and Link couldn't help but look around the room looking for Fi, but she was nowhere around. He had heard her, hadn't he? Maybe the sleepless night was starting to get to him. Completely forgetting about Pipit, Link put all his items back where they belonged, and grabbed a towel from his wardrobe. He walked out into the corridor, and slowly made his way up the stairs. With Fi on his mind, he was completely oblivious to his surroundings, including a sleeping Mia whom he almost woke up: that wouldn't have been a fun event. He tiptoed around Mia, and continued down the hall, he was about to open the bathroom door when it opened from the other side, and Pipit was standing there in a towel, still dripping wet from his bath.

"Oh, Link! Right on time! I was just going back to my room," Pipit's cheeks flushed red a little; he was probably feeling a little exposed. "Take your time in there; I don't think anyone else is up at this hour."

"Oh yeah, sure," Link moved out of the way and Pipit went on his way. Link couldn't help but follow him with his eyes; he watched the shirtless figure down the hall, and his eyes roamed down to Pipit's rear. Link could distinctly make out the shape through the damp towel, two perfectly round cheeks, each one tensing and relaxing with each step. His mind wandering, Link managed to look away and get in the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Link took a deep breath and re-focused on the task on hand, taking a bath. Surely he could accomplish that. After all, he had slain beasts and monsters the size of this bathroom itself. He looked down towards his crotch, and realized that observing Pipit had made his pants quite a bit tighter. Great. That would definitely slow him down. He tried bringing his thoughts back to Fi, and her departure only half a day ago. A few moments of these thoughts, not only loosened his pants, but also brought a tear to his eye. Slowly, Link stripped out of his clothes, and felt the cool air against his skin. He examined himself; skin bruised and multiple scars and scratches; this could be a very painful bath. He walked over to the tub, and one step at a time, he waded into the warm water, which wasn't painful at all. It was so relaxing; Link felt his heart skip a beat in pleasure. He closed his eyes, mostly because they were begging him to be closed, and when he opened them again, it was light out, and a warm, bright light shone through the windows. Link looked at himself, definitely clean, but also quite wrinkly. He laughed at himself, and stood up and dried himself off, before putting a fresh towel around him, and leaving the bathroom. The halls were empty, so Link figured he'd be safe from un-needed embarrassment, but when he ran into (quite literally) Zelda on the stairs, his face was so red it felt like fire.

"Oh there you are," Zelda said quite giggly, "I figured you'd be out in the clouds by now."

"Yeah, I figured that too, but falling asleep in the bath will throw a guy's schedule out the window," Link smiled sarcastically, and laughed a little at his casualness. "Let me go get dressed, and we can go out flying together if you're free."

"I'd love to Link, but I'm not sure my dad wants me out flying for a little while; you remember what happened last time, right?" She winked at him, and nudged him softly in the arm. She smiled, giggled, and said "I'll ask him if we can go out, but he'll probably send someone out to follow closely behind us; probably a graduated knight."

"Yeah ok, uhm, meet me in the plaza in about, say, an hour?"

"I'll be there; if we can't go out flying, we can at least go and sit somewhere for the afternoon." Her eyes twinkled as she said that, and suddenly Link found himself wondering what was going on inside her head. Maybe sitting and talking wasn't exactly what she had on her mind.


	4. Date in the Sky

He had taken his time getting ready; making sure his hair was perfect, that his fresh outfit was clean (he had asked to wear his normal clothes, as the tunic wasn't comfortable, and because he had worn a tunic for an entire month straight), before grabbing his adventure belt, and wandering down to the bazaar. He talked for a while with Piper for a while, before humouring himself to go and look inside Beedle's shop. Nothing new.

Link figured it was probably time to go meet Zelda, so he headed down to the plaza, which had become a lot more active over the last day, as people were packing their things in crates, preparing for a mass relocation down to the surface. He could see Gondo and Scrapper examining crates, as every now and then, Scrapper would lift one to test the weight. Link figured that Scrapper would end up taking most of the supplies down to the surface; at least all the larger items like crates of items, beds, wardrobes. The council in charge of the move (Gaepora, Groose, Owlan, Horwell, and Eagus) had decided to bring furniture with them, as it would be useless to leave it all in the sky. Without Fi, it was much harder to persuade Scrapper into helping them, but with much convincing, he eventually agreed to do it.

Zelda was waiting for him, near the base of the Light Tower. She was holding a basket of some sorts, and was back to wearing her pink dress. He liked the look on her a lot more; the white gown was to heavenly for a city already amongst the clouds. She was clearly happy to see him, as she jumped up when she saw him.

"Hey again," she walked right up to him, rather closely, "I hope you'll be glad to know, that we're going flying, and we don't have to stay in town."

"Yeah I am; I was starting to think that your father wouldn't let you leave." Link slyly put his hand through his hair to realize it was a lot softer than it was yesterday. "The nine hour bath did that you fool" he thought to himself, and was glad that his thoughts were interrupted by Zelda grabbing his free hand and pulling him over to the diving dock.

"We're going somewhere where no one can bother us, so just follow me when we get out there." Zelda blushed, and let go of his hand. Link smiled and nodded to her, and gestured for her to go first. Last time he went first he ended up plummeting towards the cloud barrier; something that he didn't want to repeat. She turned on the spot, and stared him right in the eye in that "You better be right behind me" kind of way. She stepped backwards right over the edge; a daring move that showed Link that she was trying to be adventurous and spontaneous. He dove right after her, and was on his crimson Loftwing in seconds. Straightening out, Link saw that Zelda was headed to Thunderhead. "Where are you taking me you little goddess" Link thought to himself. Soon enough, Link could tell that they were headed to the Isle of Songs, a different location he thought; definitely private. Soon they had both landed on their Loftwings right onto the isle. Their Loftwings took off, leaving the two by themselves; alone in the heavens.

"I figured this would be one of our hiding spots now; seeing how important it is. I guess this was the only place I could think of that wouldn't involve prying eyes I suppose."

"Hiding spot?" Link teased, "What are we hiding from?"

"We're hiding from people; having everyone look at us having a picnic felt weird." She smiled one of her sweet, innocent smiles and opened up the basket. She pulled out a large green blanket and spread it on the ground. She then plopped herself down, and patted the space in front of her, silently telling him to sit down: he did as he was told. She grabbed a bottle of… was Zelda holding a bottle of champagne? She could clearly read the puzzled look on his face, and responded to it quickly, "Don't worry Link, it's just pumpkin cider." She laughed as she poured two glasses full of the stuff.

"I was starting to wonder what you were thinking for a moment there," Link took one of the glasses in hand, and briefly took a sip. Definitely just cider: phew. They began to enjoy a peaceful afternoon in the sky, talking about the good things they'd encountered on their journey, and the still undiscovered lands down there. Link talked most about the creatures he had met: the Gorons were the first ally creatures that Link had encountered. He talked about Gorko, Golo, and Gortram. Link explained how he had saved Gorko from a group of Bokoblins near the Sealed Grounds. Before continuing with the story, Zelda started talking about the Kikwis, and the area around them.

"So we've decided on Faron Woods, but where exactly did you have in mind? I mean, the Sealed Grounds have a temple and a statue that the people are going to cling to, so we can't go too far from there."

"I have the area around the Great Tree in mind; we've got water, natural surroundings, and the Kikwis would be great friends to the Skyloftians. Plus we'll already have that viewing platform structure, which is a huge plus, because that has a bird statue right on it, which means easy access to Skyloft. Not to mention the high altitude of the tree would provide great nesting for the Loftwings."

"Link…" Zelda paused, seemingly nervous about what she was going to say, "Have you considered the living arrangements yet? I mean, who'll live with whom while we build the more permanent structures?"

"I have the Mogma's tent-like homes in mind while we build, but when we're all set in stone and we have to decide who lives with whom, I haven't thought about it that much. I guess that I was hoping it'd just figure itself out, you know?" Link looked into Zelda's eyes; they were staring right back into his, glistening with what might have been tears.

"I guess Link, what I'm trying to say is, well, after all this time, I've really figured out what I was going to say that day when we were flying, before that tornado…" Suddenly Link remembered: Zelda was about to tell him something that she'd been thinking about for a long time, but she couldn't tell him before Ghirahim snatched her out of the sky. "I was going to say Link; I love you, and I want to live with you, and be with you, and hold your hand as we watch the people of Skyloft evolve into the great people of Hylia's land_" Link had an epiphany,

"Hylians."


	5. Future Home

Later that afternoon, when Link and Zelda felt content with their decisions about the Hylian life in front of them, they called their Loftwings and took to the sky. This time, it was Link who was leading, and he was heading back towards the main sky, out of Thunderhead. When Zelda started to really wonder where they were going, Link and his Loftwing made a nosedive towards one of the smaller islands of the sky. Curious, Zelda was quick to follow. Little did Zelda know, but Link wasn't headed for the island; and when he straightened out suddenly, she was confused with their destination, but when Link gestured for her to jump down to him, she did, and soon, he was jumping too, and that's when she realized that they were diving right into a green column of light.

Having made a rough landing, Link felt kind of bad when Zelda showed him a new cut on her leg. He told her that the landings were usually softer, and apologized before bringing her out towards the Great Tree. They had landed in a clearing right next to it; the clearing that Zelda had first encountered the Kikwi elder, Bucha. Zelda smiled knowing that such kind and gentle creatures were so nearby. Link showed her the area in front of the viewing platform and the Great Tree that he had in mind for the encampment. Facing the Great Tree, Link started pointing out the areas where the different things would go. And when he pointed to the right, and the area around the corner, Link told her that he wanted to live there. He started to tell her about a new academy they would build, where everyone in the academy lived now would have their own room and space, but also how close she'd be to him.

"Then when we both grow a little older…" Link put his hand through his hair again, hoping that she'd be able to finish the sentence.

"…We can make a house together, right over there." Zelda pointed out to the hillside in front of Lake Floria. "I want to live there." Link stopped in thought, as he considered what life would be like, living on the hilltop, at the edge of their village, overlooking both the forest and the lake. It could be a good life. Link hummed in agreement, and grabbed Zelda's hand. He took her over to the hillside, and showed her the diving bridge, the little spring below them, and he told her that they'd have to make a bridge, instead of a vine, to get across the little cliff.

"But I like the vine," she laughed, "I can watch our kids_" she stopped herself there. "I mean, yeah, bridge sounds good." She blushed and continued walking around the area.

"Kids?"

"Well, I don't really think they're in the near future… but some day." Zelda put on her innocent face, and looked at him with a "That wasn't supposed to come out" expression.

"Well, yeah, one day. One day, I'm sure we'll be sitting on the porch, watching our kids play hide and seek with the Kikwis."

"So I'm not crazy for thinking about kids?"

"Oh, you're definitely crazy." Link flirtatiously stood beside her, and grabbed her hands, "But that doesn't matter; because I'm crazy for you."

He stroked her cheek, and leaned in towards her. He had trekked across forests, mountains, rivers of lava, deserts, temples, ruins, traveled through time for this moment; and what a perfect moment it was. He kissed her, softly and gently, just letting his emotions get to her through their lips. Her arms went around his neck and his arms went around her waist, while his hands protectively rested on her back. It was one of those perfect, storybook moments that people waited for their entire lives, and he was sharing it with her, in the blissful woods, where they'd spend the rest of their lives.

After a few moments of bliss, they withdrew from the kiss. Zelda blushed, while Link tried to pretend that his shirt had become crooked. A couple awkward giggles and sighs later, they took each others hands, and continued to explore their future home.


	6. Free Falling

When they returned home, Gaepora scolded Link for going back to the surface without his permission or knowledge, and told him to wait a few more days before they could all go back again. Link didn't tell Gaepora that he and Zelda were planning the rest of their lives together, nor did he mention that he had visited the Sealed Temple. He had talked to an empty chamber, where he knew Fi rested. She might not be capable of responding, but maybe she could hear, and that's all Link cared about. When Gaepora asked Link what they had done, he merely said that they walked around the safest, most serene place on the surface, and that he wanted to show Zelda what he was thinking for the village. Intrigued, Gaepora bought into it, and soon enough, Link was drawing out the blueprints on a map, showing what the buildings could look like, what they'd be made of, how many floors, everything. He even briefly mentioned a newly designed academy that he had asked Zelda to design. Impressed, Gaepora let his actions slide, and merely told him not to do it again. Link left him as he observed the detailed map, and returned to his room.

As he opened the door, he saw that someone had been in his room, and had gone through all his things. When Link realized that his Beetle was missing, he grew angry, and grabbed his bow and quiver, along with his adventure pouch, and stormed out into the mess hall, where everyone was calmly eating their meals. When Henya saw that Link had his bow in hand, she immediately knew that something had happened. She met Link in the doorway, and asked him to put the bow down. With some persuasion, he did. Henya then proceeded to ask him what had happened, and when she learned that someone had stolen a priceless artefact, she grew angry as well. She stormed into the hall,

"Alright! Whoever stole one of Link's priceless items has to the count of 3 to admit it, or they will face the consequences." She huffed, "One," everyone in the room grew anxious, realizing that she was dead serious, "Two," Henya huffed again, "Thr_"

"I didn't _steal_ it…" Pipit stood up, "I didn't _steal_ it," he repeated. "I was looking for it, because I knew it had magical properties, and when I went to use it, I blacked out. When I woke up again, it was gone. I didn't mean to lose it, you have to believe me."

Clearly frustrated, Link grabbed his bow from the floor, and stormed outside. Pipit was quick to follow. Link hung the bow over his shoulder, and threw the quiver on his back. He then stormed down the stairs, and right off of a diving platform. Pipit was scared that Link would do something stupid, and dove right after him, yelling out for him. Link was free-falling for much longer than usual, and it didn't take long for Pipit to catch up.

"Link!" Pipit shouted out, the wind making it hard to hear, "I need you to talk to me!" A few moments passed, and when they were both falling through the cloud barrier, Link realized that if he didn't help Pipit, he would die upon impact with the surface. The clouds now above them, Link glided over to his left and grabbed Pipit, and when Link could count the number of Lava Rivers around him, he let the sailcloth out. About four or five feet above solid ground, Link let go of Pipit, letting him crash a little bit. Gracefully landing, Link looked around to judge their exact location. He recognized this area to be one of the Mogma camps, with the temple nearby. He knew that they were about halfway up the volcano, and the only bird statue he could think of, was the one in front of the temple, near the top. He didn't _want_ to hear Pipit's excuses, nor did he _want_ to hear an apology. But, having dove all the way from Skyloft just to talk to him, Link figured he could at least _listen_ to Pipit; not a lot of people would jump out of the sky just to say sorry.

"Link… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose your beetle…" he was breathing hard, the adrenaline still coursing through him. "I was only curious about it, because you had talked about it last night at the feast. You told us about the whole eyesight transfer thing, and I wanted to see for myself. So I went out across the river, and went to use it, and when I started seeing through it's eyes, I fainted."

"Why didn't you just wait for me to come back? I would've let you use it; I could've shown you how to use it _properly_. It's not like I was going to say no to _Pipit_."

"Curiosity killed the cat I suppose…" this was definitely a little dry humour to lighten the mood, and Link appreciated it. "Look; I'll help you look for it. I remember which way I was flying it so we can narrow down the region a bit, and I'll be an extra pair of eyes to help you look and we_"

"Pipit; this is your first time on the surface. For all we know, it landed somewhere in these lava rivers. Or maybe it landed in some quicksand. Or maybe it's stuck on some mountain top that I've never been on. There's no point in looking for it."

"Then why'd you jump outta the sky? You don't just _do_ that if you're not that bothered about it."

"I guess I just needed to vent, and free-falling all the way down here definitely helped with that bit. Sorry for letting you go at last minute; I was_ am still upset with you about it. You get hurt or anything?"

"My arm probably shouldn't look like this, but, I'm sure I'll be fine." Pipit proceeded to roll up his sleeve, and Link saw that his arm had been what had broken Pipit's fall. It was cut, and blood was surrounding a nasty looking gash on his forearm.

"Oh holy Faron that's not good," Link walked over to Pipit and ripped Pipit's sleeve from the shoulder. He then wiped the gash, before flipping it over and tightly wrapping it around his arm. "Well, that's the best I can do down here. It's getting dark, and we have to get to the top of this mountain before nightfall so that_"

"What happens at nightfall?" Pipit asked, clearly afraid of the unknown dangers of a foreign land.

"It gets dark, and I can't see." Link winked at Pipit, and earned himself a good punch to the arm from Pipit's good arm. "Now, come here," Link put Pipit's good arm around his shoulders, holding him up. Link put his arm around Pipit's lower back, and made sure that Pipit wouldn't slip from his grasp. He had done that once already, and that didn't end up to well for Pipit. "I say we take this slowly, and we'll be fine." With his free hand, Link dislodged his bow from around his shoulders, and readied an arrow; "Just in case."


	7. Twilight Embrace

They were slowly and carefully making their way up the mountainside. Link had quickly learned that Pipit had injured his ankle as well, but that must have been a sprain, because it wasn't cut up like his arm was. Due to Pipit's bad ankle, most of his weight was being put on Link, which slowed them down a lot. For some reason, Link didn't mind it; slowly adventuring the mountain, with his arm around Pipit. He was starting to feel the same way he had the previous night, and for some reason, it didn't bother him this time. No; this time he was enjoying it, fully basking in the closeness with him.

As the sun started to set, Link gently leaned Pipit at the bottom of the vine-cliff. He decided they would tackle climbing it in the morning, and that they should just stay there for the night. When Pipit argued that they should keep going, Link told him of the big sand-slope that was up the cliff, and that with his ankle, they wouldn't be able to get up _that_ either, and that they would probably roll right off of the mountain in their sleep up there. Link took one of his empty bottles and filled it with the water from the tiny puddle-spring, then gave it to Pipit, and their gaze met: Pipit's eyes gleamed under the starlight. He then took out another bottle, but kept it for himself.

Link took a deep breath, remembering the smell of sulphur that would stick on his fresh clothes for another week. "So much for staying clean" he thought to himself. Pipit seemed a lot less intrigued in the world around him than Link would have thought, and when Link started paying attention, he noticed that Pipit was shivering. "How can you be cold? We're on the side of a _volcano_ ," he thought, but didn't say out loud.

"Hey, are you cold?" Link figured another blunt comment would just cut to the chase, instead of beating around the bush. He definitely wasn't a man of many words. Pipit only nodded, and with that, Link sat next to him, put his arms around him, and pulled him close. "No point in letting you freeze your butt off; you can't afford anymore injuries." This earned a silent laugh, which Link wouldn't have noticed unless Pipit hadn't moved his entire body trying to stifle the laugh.

"Hey Link," Pipit moved his head a little farther so that he could look at Link's face, "What happens if things _do_ change?" And suddenly Link realized what he meant; he wasn't talking about a friendship at all, but something more than that; or was Link's mind playing tricks on him. He decided to clarify,

"I'm afraid my brains full of lava fumes; you're _going_ to have to clarify what you mean." Link smiled his sweet smile, and waited for Pipit.

"I mean, what happens when you and Zelda get closer? Where do _I_ end up?"

"Who says me and Zelda get closer? What happens if… you and I got closer instead? Where would that lead us?"

"I guess I didn't think of it like _that_ …"

"Maybe my mind has been doing weird things to me then." Link stared into Pipit's eyes, and when his glare softened, Link took his chance. Very, very slowly, Link started to lean in, only hoping that he wasn't making a mistake. When his lips were only an inch or two away from Pipit's, he figured there was no turning back, and closed the gap. His lips tasted very… masculine. "Duh" he thought to himself, "He's a guy; they're going to be masculine." Pipit was definitely kissing him back, so when Pipit's mouth was opening for another kiss Link pushed his tongue into Pipit's mouth. He had wanted a more lustful kiss with Zelda earlier, but he wasn't brave enough then; but that wasn't a problem now. Exploring Pipit's mouth, Link kept wanting more and more. So when Link lowered one of his hands down Pipit's back, Pipit groaned into Link. "Is he telling me to keep going? Or stop?" Unsure, Link slowly continued to go down Pipit's back, and when there wasn't any hesitance in Pipit, his hand went up the back of his shirt onto his bare skin. His skin was cool, but somehow warm at the same time. Pipit had stopped shivering, so Link figured not only was this pleasurable, but it was also heating Pipit up. And sure enough, soon Pipit's hands were sliding down Link's chest. One rested on his chest, while they other kept going.

The sun hadn't even finished setting, and Link realized they had a long night ahead of them, and that there wasn't any rush for anything. So he took his hand that wasn't up Pipit's shirt, and grabbed Pipit's playful hand.

"What's the rush?" Link said, briefly separating their lips.

"I suppose we have all night, don't we?" Pipit said, and hummed as they reclosed the gap between their lips. It was going to be a fun night.


	8. Escaping Eldin

Feeling things he hadn't felt before, Link was growing anxious about what would come next. Both of their pants were getting tighter, and he knew it was only a matter of time before clothes would be coming off. Link's senses were at a peak; which is why he heard what happened next.

A deep rumbling underneath them could be faintly heard, and Link separated from Pipit's lips. "Do you hear that?" Link asked, trying to listen closer. Pipit took a moment to listen, and when Link saw his ears wiggle, he knew that Pipit could hear it as well. This new event had quickly calmed Link down sexually, but was now getting his adrenaline going again; he knew that something big was about to happen on the volcano.

"What do you think it is?" Pipit asked nervously.

"I don't know; last time I heard a noise like this, the volcano erupted." Link saw the confusion in Pipit's face and knew that he had no idea what Link was talking about. Determined not to die yet; Link got up, and pulled Pipit up with him. Grabbing his clawshots, he shoved them onto Pipit's hands. "You're going to use these to climb the cliff," Link explained, and soon enough, Pipit was gliding to the top of the vines. Link quickly climbed up, and had to take a moment to catch his breath. Taking the clawshots back and putting them into his adventure pouch once more, he put his arm around Pipit and started speed walking. Still unsure of how they were going to get up the sand dune, Link had to pause at the bottom of the slope.

"How are we supposed to get up this thing?" Pipit asked, as the constant rumbling started to strengthen.

"Give me a minute," Link said, growing impatient with his friend's incompetence. However the volcano didn't give Link a minute, as a large explosion engulfed the volcano summit. Link knew that Eldin Volcano had just erupted. Clearly panicking, Link grabbed Pipit's arm and made a 180 turn towards the bottom of the volcano. He ran over to the edge, and jumped pulling Pipit with him. He used the sailcloth at last minute, which ended up bringing them to a small ledge he had never visited before.

"That'll buy us a minute," Link assured his friend, but failed to reassure his own mind. After what felt like eternity for Pipit, Link shouted out a loud "Aha!" and shoved his hand into his adventure pouch. Taking out the Gust Bellow, Link quickly explained to Pipit that they would jump again, and Pipit would steer them with the Gust Bellow to the bottom of the Volcano. Back to back, they jumped, and Link quickly opened the sailcloth. Pipit immediately began using the Gust Bellow which was quickly taking them towards the bottom.

When they landed, Link quickly oriented himself to as to exactly where he could find the closest Bird Statue. When he realized that there was one a mere hundred feet or so in front of him, he shouted again to Pipit and pointed to the statue. Despite his ankle, Pipit ran extremely fast towards the statue, and they stopped in front of it.

"Okay, we're here; now what?" Pipit was scared now, and this was something Link had never seen before.

"We fly," Link said as he opened his mind to the Statue. The statue's consciousness entered Link's mind, and in a deep, mystic voice, it asked Link if he would like to return to the sky. Calmly replying with "Yes, I wish to return to the sky," the Bird Statue began to glow, and Link told Pipit to hold on to him as tightly as possible. An orange-red beam of light shot out from the statue, and took Link and Pipit skyward. It was a rough trip up, but when the got into the sky, Link realized that the Loftwings didn't fly at night, and that the knights would have no idea they were out here. Looking below, Link could barely see the surface, but he could see enough to know which direction he wanted to dive to. He picked a pinpoint location to aim at, and with Pipit still holding on to him, he dove across the sky. The cloud barrier was quite thin now, and Link thought that maybe his Loftwing could return to the surface in the morning to get them. After spending a good hour of diving and parachuting with the sailcloth, Link and Pipit eventually managed to safely land outside of Skyview temple.

"Oh great," Link thought, "As if I haven't been here enough."


	9. Servant to the Skies

"Where are we?" Pipit, still holding tightly onto Link, seemed less scared here than on the volcano. Link interpreted this as good, because everyone would live in these woods soon enough.

"Deep Faron Woods, the structure behind us is Skyview Temple, the first place I encountered Ghirahim. The main part of the woods is a little ways away, but not too far. We could head there for the night, or we could go inside the temple; your choice."

"Well I really need to get off this ankle, so let's go inside. You said there's a spring in there didn't you?"

"Yeah, we'll go there." And so they headed down the spooky-staircase and into the temple. No more monsters were around anymore, except a lone keese or two, as Link had killed them all multiple times. He was satisfied with the water dragon's job of clearing the woods and that meant that people could use the temple for whatever reason they pleased. Looking at the large rooms and structures, Link realized that this would be excellent training grounds for the Knight Academy, there were things to climb, places to swim, they could set up some training dummies for sword practice; the possibilities were practically endless. They finally got to the round room where Link had first encountered Girahim, and chills went up Link's spine. That creep, well, creeped him out and Link couldn't help but feel like the creep could jump out at anytime. Link quickly took Pipit on through to the spring, where they camped out on the clean stone.

"It certainly is peaceful out here," Pipit, who was leaning against the stone wall, was now looking out above the stairs to the calm and pristine spring, "So do you have any idea of how Zelda got out of here so fast?"

"She never told me how she traveled so fast from here to Eldin Volcano, I mean after that Impa_ after that she was being escorted, but I don't know. I wish I knew because then I could just hop on up to the volcano when I wanted instead of going up to the sky, and back down again."

"You three said that Impa was a servant to the goddess; do you think there are any others like her? I mean there's no way she only had one servant, and there's no way Im_ this lady was the only magical person down here."

"I suppose you could be right; I only explored a few regions, and I'm sure there is much still to be unseen, and I'm sure we would find others there, but until then, I'm going to say that Impa was one of a kind." He looked at Pipit, this time not sexually, but logically; he was having a real conversation with Pipit about the land of the surface, which impressed Link to no end, as Pipit had only seen an exploding volcano and a creepy temple. However, as he stared into Pipit's eyes, he could feel the mood change between them and he knew what they were both now thinking. Link took his hand and put it on Pipit's thigh and he leaned in for another kiss, but before their lips met, the hairs on the back of Link's neck began standing up; they were not alone.

He hastily stood up grabbing his bow and readying an arrow, pointing it out towards the edge of the spring, "Who's there? Come out and show yourself." Link was expecting to see a big monster of some kind to walk out of the shadows, but to his surprise a young girl garbed in royal blue came out and walked right up to him. She had bleach blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and tanned skin. She was tall and slim like Impa was, but she was a little shorter. There was a green sash around her left arm with an emblem, but it was too dark to make out. "Who are you?" Link lowered the bow slightly, and relaxed his shoulders.

"I am a servant to the skies, which is where you appeared from. So I will now ask you, who are _you_?"

"I am Link, hero of the Goddess Hylia, who also happens to be my best friend. My turn; what's your name?"

"I am Ilysa, and if we're done interrogating each other on our backgrounds I would like to ask if the goddess has succeeded in destroying Demise? Or, if you are the Hero, did you succeed?" Surprised that Ilysa knew so much, he thought that maybe she knew Impa somehow, which would mean he could trust her.

"Demise was vanquished from this land, and is fading from existence as we speak. Hylia is safe in the sky while she recovers, and the people who were sent to the sky on the outcropping of land a long time ago are soon going to return to the surface."

"They're what?!" Ilysa seemed scared about this fact and he was going to repeat himself, but Pipit beat him to it.

"The people of the sky are returning to the land."

"You can't; do you know what will happen if you all come down here?" Link and Pipit both remained silent for a while, until she spoke again. "If every single member of Skyloft comes down to the surface, then Hylia's spell that took the island up there will have no more use, and the island will come crashing down on our heads."


	10. Accommodations

Link, Pipit, and Ilysa had all spent the night behind the temple, and when morning came, they all ventured out into the clearing in front of the temple. Link convinced Ilysa that she must come with them to the sky, and with the help of the sailcloth, all three of them rose upwards into the sky. Once there, Pipit called his Loftwing and Link called his own, his crimson Loftwing also taking Ilysa with them. They flew right to the roof of the academy, where the three of them walked straight down the hall to Gaepora's room. Link pushed open the doors without knocking to see that Gaepora and Zelda were at his desk over looking some papers. Zelda looked up at Link and smiled, a smile that faded when she saw an injured Pipit, and a faded smile that turned into confusion as Ilysa walked in. Link was the first to speak,

"A huge problem just uncovered itself."

After telling Gaepora and Zelda the story of how they met Ilysa, save mention of a few heated details, Zelda seemed puzzled. "How could I have made a spell that could potentially kill all humans as soon as they return to the surface? Some memories are a little foggy, but I'm sure I thought it through more than that."

"Hylia, er, Zelda," Ilysa hesitated, clearly confused with some identity issues going on with Zelda, "Your spell was weakened over the years; initially Skyloft was supposed to drop onto an area outside the Temple of Time in the desert, but with so much time, the surface has shifted and moved. Now, if I am correct, Skyloft could fall right onto the volcano, which could cause an expansive eruption that could cover most of the known regions and then_"

"Are there still regions that are unexplored?" Gaepora interjected, "If so, it's possible that we could find a safe haven for all of us, as well as the creatures of the surface."

"You would be willing to move all of those creatures from their homes just so you can move to the surface? Don't you think that's extremely selfish and thoughtless?" Ilysa did not seem impressed.

This private meeting went on for a long time, and when it was finally over, it was decided that the Knight Academy would have to remain in Skyloft, where Patrols could be made and so that there would always be at least some people in the sky. They had learnt that Ilysa came from a tribe of people called the Sheikah, who were all servants to Hylia. Ilysa spoke of the legacy of Impa, and how they named the first born child of the cheiftan's family after her. Ilysa said that the tradition of naming the first born child of the cheiftan's family after Impa had been held true since years dating back to the Great War. She talked about her tribe's magical prowess, and Ilysa even demonstrated her abilities to the group to prove her word was true.

Mildly unsatisfied with the result, Link said goodnight to Zelda and Gaepora (as they had spent the entire day discussing possible outcomes) and he and Pipit headed for Link's room. When he opened his door he saw that most of the furniture had been removed from the room, and now all the remained was his pack and a mattress on the floor. They went back to check Pipit's room to see that not even a mattress remained there, so Link told Pipit that he could share the bed with him. Now, they both stood looking at the mattress.

"It's not that big, but I suppose we can fit somehow," Link said, ruffling his hair with his hand.

"I'm sure we can find a way, just make sure you lock your door, I don't want any adults walking in seeing us share a tiny mattress." Link agreed that the embarrassment would probably kill him, so he went over to the door and turned the lock. He went over to the mattress and lowered himself down; at least it was still comfortable and he could get some sleep, but as he looked up at Pipit, he thought that he might not get much sleep. Pipit, who was still standing, was looking down at Link very intensely. Link returned the intensity to Pipit who then kneeled down in front of Link, and leaned in for a kiss. They both fought for lead, but eventually Link was successful and softly bit Pipit's lip to prove it. They rolled over onto the mattress with Link on top of Pipit, both of them now passionately accepting their situation. Link felt Pipit's hands wander down his back, and he flinched a bit when he felt hands on his bare back. Pipit pulled Link further down to him, and Link let the gap between them close even more. Link had one hand over Pipit's chest and the other was resting on his hip. Both of his hands were temporarily removed from Pipit when Link's shirt was pulled over his head, but his hands went straight back to where they were. He let the hand on Pipit's hip venture up Pipit's shirt and he found his nipple quite easily and began to play with it. A few moments of teasing, and Link couldn't take it anymore; he sat up, straddling Pipit, and pulled his shirt off exposing Pipit's bare torso. Link took both of his hands and stroked them up and down Pipit's skin quite strongly, letting himself feel the shape of Pipit's muscles: he counted six semi-defined abs going up, and he confirmed the strength of Pipit's chest when he got to the top. Pipit put his hands behind his own head and tilted his head back, letting Link doing whatever he wanted; but little did Link know exactly what he wanted himself.


	11. Lone Bird Statue

They had fallen asleep before things had gotten too serious, mostly by judgment of Link, however it was one of the more difficult decisions he had made in a while. Most of his adventure let him decide things pretty easily, but never had it made him decide between logic and desire. Link had so desperately desired to keep going with the young man who was now lying next to him. Pipit had let Link take the lead for the most part, and they were now spooning each other with only their drawers on, both of which were tight black briefs which lent some favour to the imagination. The colour of the room had begun to change from black to a lighter and more colourful pallet; this told Link that it was the start of another day. It was another day where he would take charge of the people of Skyloft, and another day where their plans to move could take a roadblock that would slow them down.

Pipit moaned slightly and turned to face Link, who was already awake and looking at Pipit. He seemed surprised that Link was already awake, but he smiled anyways,

"Good morning you," Pipit blinked, clearly trying to wake up still.

"Good morning to you too," Link smiled lightly at Pipit, who wrapped his arms around Link's chest.

"What's on the agenda today there boss?"

"Well we have to go over exactly how much stuff is going to stay in Skyloft and what is going to go down with us. But it's still early if you wanted to do something else first…" Link raised a single eyebrow and grinded his crotch against what felt like Pipit's thigh. Link thought to himself, "I've never ever woken up so horny in my life."

"That sounds fun," Pipit pushed his thigh back into Link's crotch, which earned a low moan from Link, "But I have to help my mom get her stuff together; you of all people should know how she doesn't do stuff on her own."

"Fine, but just know you're leaving me really blue over here," Link teased. Pipit smiled and let his eyes go down on Link, and he raised an eyebrow when his eyes found Link's enlarged member.

"Blue eh?" he started, and then Pipit's eyes found Link's eyes, "They'll match your eyes."

Link and Pipit had taken a while to get ready, mostly because every time one of them got an article of clothing on, the other would take it off. Eventually however, they both were fully clothed and they kissed against the still locked door.

"See you here again tonight?" Link asked, finally coming up for air.

"Well, the accommodations could use some improvements," Pipit said, his eyes darting towards the mattress, "But the hospitality is pretty good, so yes, here again tonight."

Link had let Pipit go on ahead a few minutes to try and avoid any strange looks from people passing by. Link put on a brand new tunic, hooked on his adventure pouch, and wrapped his empty sword sheath around his shoulder. He departed for the Sparring Hall, as he knew he would need a new sword for a while. Convincing Eagus to give him a sword the second time around was much quicker than the first, and after a few measurements, Eagus gave him a nearly perfect blade which was the appropriate length and weight. He held the empty sword in his hand and he was immediately aware that no sword would ever feel quite the same as a sword forged by the flames of the goddesses; no sword could ever give him the companionship that Fi did.

With a regular sword now in the Master Sword sheath, Link thanked Eagus and left the Sparring Hall. He made his way down to the plaza, which was now a buzz of activity; it seemed that everyone in town was there going through different stacks of crates and there were two distinct areas for crates. Link assumed that one area was for stuff going down and that the other was for stuff staying up. He made eye contact with Pipit from across the plaza and they shared a brief moment through the distance before they both carried on. Link walked past the plaza and made his way up the river bank out towards the pool; looking out across the pool, Link jumped from one rock to another until he was safely across. He then looked out towards the lone bird statue with the crystals as eyes; walking towards the bird, he decided to remove both crystals and stash them in his pouch. He then ran straight towards the diving platform and leaped into the open sky. He let himself feel the air rush into his face for a moment before calling his Loftwing, and soon enough a blur of crimson came to him and he was gliding across the sky. He hugged his bird before steering towards the column of light nearby; if this was the way Pipit was aiming when he lost the beetle, then he'd start his search there.


	12. Glimpse and Greed

Link put away his sailcloth after he made a soft landing at Eldin Volcano. The mountain appeared calm again, and any chaos from the eruption had subsided. He had no idea of where to start looking for his beetle, but he knew that one of his many Mogma would surely be up for a treasure hunt. With that in mind, Link headed for the Mogma Area at the base of the volcano. He rounded up around four Mogmas and told them what they were looking for, that it probably wasn't buried, and that the Mogma that found it would get a healthy amount of rupees as reward.

Recruiting help had gone much easier than Link had expected and he started searching outside the Earth Temple. He looked up and down the sand slopes, he checked the old Bokoblin camp, and he checked the exterior ledges of the temple itself. Growing discouraged, Link's eyes wandered over to the little shrine-like structure overlooking the sand slope; he could make out the silhouette of a person there who bore resemblance to Impa. Growing slightly excited that Impa may be alive, Link ran over to the shrine, but he was disappointed to see that it was not Impa, but Ilysa.

"Ilysa? What are you doing down here?"

"I was searching for you, but when I realized you were preoccupied, I wandered over here to look at the view for a while."

"Searching for me? What for?" Link put his hands on his hips, getting slightly impatient with the girl's mysterious actions. Ilysa turned to face him,

"I needed to tell you that I know what will happen to Skyloft…" Ilysa then proceeded to tell Link the knowledge that she had somehow obtained. She told him that the Loftwings were much more sentient than previously believed and that their spirits would allow for Hylia's spell to remain active without the presence of humans. She told him that the Loftwings that would not become attached to humans would one day adapt and that they would still remain connected to the future generations of humans. She also told him of a prophecy which spoke of a split between the people of the sky, which would ultimately forge separate villages. And finally, she told him that her tribe had remained on the surface in a Time Rift in the Lanayru Desert. She told him that they had been allies of Hylia, but that they were powerful enough to survive without her aid, and that they remained on the surface so that the humans could be saved. She stopped talking, but Link made no reply for a few moments; he had just been told the past, present, and future of his fellow humans, and that no one would have to stay in Skyloft if they wanted to leave. He was now aware that there were other tribes on the surface that were stronger than the Hylians and that some of them were allies, but it was possible that others were not. He had been told that the Loftwings would be okay, but he was also told that the plans for a unified village would not succeed and that there would be a division. He lowered himself down and leaned against a column in the shrine. Ilysa lowered herself next to him and spoke once more,

"Just because you know that not everyone will end up living happily with you, does not mean that you can give up. You must return to Faron Woods immediately and begin constructing your village so that less people grow unhappy with their surroundings."

"But my beetle, it is such a useful tool that we can use for entertainment, for security, for scouting, for_"

"I will search for your device, but you must go immediately; the Hylians are embarking towards the surface in only three days time, and you must begin preparations. Go; I will find your beetle and meet you in the woods as soon as I can, but you must promise me that_" She fell silent as a cold wind stirred around them, "Link you must go now, before you can no longer leave this volcano."

"What, is it going to erupt again?"

"I fear something much worse is happening; go quickly. I will meet you in Faron Woods," she stood up quickly and pulled him up. She pushed him towards the Bird Statue and continued shoving him until he was right in front of the carved stone. Within a moment, he was being blasted up into the sky, forced to watch Ilysa fade into a tiny spec which disappeared before it should have.

He greeted his Loftwing in the clouds and he flew over to the town, which was now mostly empty buildings and a bustling plaza that was no less active than when he had left earlier. He landed right at the edge of the bazaar, from where he had a view of the chaos that was now the plaza; people were fighting each other, some lay on the ground unconscious, others being beat down. From where he stood, he could see Zelda over at the base of the light tower, where Groose was preventing anyone from attacking her; it seemed that somehow she had become a target. Analysing the plaza, Link removed a bomb from his pouch and threw it right into an open area of the plaza where no people were and where there was very little materials to damage. A moment of chaos continued before the loud explosion caused everyone to fall still and silent; everyone's eyes eventually fell on Link;

"What in Farore's incarnation is going on here?" He yelled across the plaza as he jumped over the railing, "I've only been gone a few short hours and this is what I come back to?" Zelda ran over to him and grasped his shoulder from behind, hiding from the townsfolk,

"It's the Triforce… they want the Triforce, all of them, they all want to be powerful." He looked at her and saw several bruises and cuts, and even though he could see her pain, he could not comfort her right now.

"Everyone is to be at the Knight Academy in thirty minutes; any more violence erupts and I will send an arrow through your shoulder." And with that, Link gestured to Groose who ran over to them; the three of them shared a look and all walked up towards to Academy.


	13. Seven Out of Eight

Gaepora, Horwell, Owlan, Eagus and Henya were all in the classroom going over a design that was now on the board when the three youths walked in. Link sat Zelda down and began to explain what had happened in the plaza, and that everyone was coming to the academy in about twenty-five minutes. Link suggested that Eagus go and gather some knight supplies to give the five adults and Groose. Link asked Henya if she could help clean Zelda's cuts and when they were preoccupied Link told Gaepora, Horwell, Owlan, and Groose what Ilysa had said to him. Gaepora said that the Triforce is what could lead to the division, but Link quickly told Gaepora of the Triforce's properties, and that no one of unbalanced nature could use the Triforce, that it would just split and shatter. Owlan advised that Link tell the townsfolk this during the meeting, as to deter them from going after it.

Soon enough, Eagus had returned with some swords, shields, and two bows along with two medium sized quivers. When Zelda and Henya returned, he had them take the bows and quivers and gave them each some of his arrows; each of the men were given a sword and shield.

"No one is to use any of these unless something happens and someone is put in danger, understood?" Link made everyone promise him not to irrationally use the gear, and just when they got themselves spread around the room (except for Zelda who remained upfront just behind Link) the townsfolk began to pour into the room. Link could see that most of them had been injured during the brawl, but he could also see that some of them had not been present as they were completely unscathed. Those who were unhurt as far as he could tell were a lot of the women, such as Goselle, Kina, Mallara, Orielle, Peatrice, Piper, and Wryna. He could also see that Kukiel and Gully were unharmed, but he was surprised to see that Luv was a part of the fight and that Bertie was not, although he should have suspected that Bertie would keep his baby far from any danger, and that Luv was a little tougher than Bertie anyways. When it seemed that everyone was present, Link did a little roll call in his head to see that everyone was present; everyone except Pipit. A little troubled, Zelda also realized that Pipit was missing as she was the first to speak,

"Has anyone seen Pipit? He's not here with us right now…" when she said that people started turning their heads to see who was there, and Mallara's face bore fear and worry. Oolo was actually the first to respond to Zelda, and in his tiny timid voice he spoke,

"The boy Pipit, the one dressed in yellow, I saw him jump from a ledge once people got angry; I think he was headed to a big green column out over the clouds."

"What does that mean? Green column; does that mean he's in the woods?" Batreaux asked rather loudly. Before Link could answer, Groose replied for him,

"Yes, it seems that Pipit was headed for Faron Woods; maybe he was looking for you Link." Groose looked over at Link from the back of the room; a slight amount of worry was on his face as well.

"It would make sense," Link rubbed his head, "Alright: I'm going to go get Pipit, but before I do, let's talk about the big golden triangle that people seem so interested in. First, don't bother going after it, because the trials you need to accomplish to be able to use it will probably kill you. Second, why you ever started fighting each other is beyond me, but let me tell you, if anything like this happens when we build our new home, I have an idea for a type of prison that will act as punishment. Final point, we need to start working as one unified group; do you think that making a new village is going to be easy just because we're bring a whole whack of supplies? Well, yes, it should be, but it won't be if we can't get along and act maturely, act peacefully, act intelligently, and act without violence." Link paused and looked at everyone's faces and was glad to see that most of them wore guilt on their faces, and he nodded when almost everyone mumbled a low "sorry" to the person next to them. He continued,

"Alright, with the lecture out of the way, I have some final news regarding Skyloft." So he told them most of what Ilysa had told him, and that everyone could go to the surface if they wished, and that future generations of Loftwings would adapt and be strong independent creatures. He neglected to mention their impending doom as a society, but he did press the point that they needed to work together as neighbours and friends. Soon, everyone seemed excited about leaving and he dismissed most of the crowd; he had asked a few people to stay behind: these people were Cawlin, Fledge, Karane, and Strich. Along with Groose, Zelda, and himself, these were the members of the Knight Academy (minus Pipit) and these were the people that would need to step up to the plate and be role models for the townsfolk.

"Alright, as you all know, we leave for a mass departure to the surface in about three days; before that happens I need you all to come with me to the Encampment Location to get yourselves used to the area and acquainted with the lifestyle. I want all of us to gather this evening before sunset in the plaza; pack your bags because we will not be returning to Skyloft anytime soon. Make sure all of your belongings are either on your physical person or are packed in a crate ready to be shipped; any trips back to Skyloft will not be for quite some time and you're going to want all your things with you." The group nodded at him and split up for a few hours before regrouping in the plaza.

Everyone had a large pack on their backs and most of them had other bags strapped to their Loftwings. Link and Zelda met them right on time, and they all shared a few short greetings before getting on their birds and taking flight. Link knew that the cloud barrier was weak enough for them to take a direct flight to the surface and when Link got himself oriented towards the massive Great Tree, the seven of them flew in a wedge formation across the sky eventually making a long descent.


	14. Demonic Defilement

The group landed right in front of the Great Tree, exactly where Link had been hoping to set foot. He had everyone detach the bags from the Loftwings and Zelda spoke softly to the birds telling them that they could nest in the tree. As the birds took off to the canopy of the tree, Link took out his map and spread it out on the ground and told everyone to make a circle around it.

"Okay everyone, this map shows everything you need to know about Faron Woods," he circled the area on the map with his finger, "The large tree here, is this big tree in front of us," All the new surface members looked up in awe at the Great Tree, "We call it the Great Tree and for good reason. This tree will serve as the most notable landmark while we're around other parts of the woods; you get lost or need anything, look for it above the other treetops and head back." This earned him a healthy amount of nods and mumbling. "This section here," he pointed towards the Sealed Grounds, "Is where the Goddess Statue landed and that is where we will start searching for Pipit in a few moments. Before we do however, you need to learn a few other things about the area." So Link went on to explain the different areas and different ways to get around, including a few shortcuts that he had made use of in his adventures. He made sure that everyone stayed out of the deep woods for now, as they would make a large group event out of going there. When he was confident that everyone had a vague idea of where they were and where they were going, he instructed everyone to grab their things. The group then made their way over to the Kikwi encampment and Link asked Bucha if he could look after their bags; Bucha laughed wholeheartedly and congratulated Link on his success of saving Zelda and vanquishing Demise, and that was when Link realized he forgot to tell the Kikwis that the humans from Skyloft were coming to live in Faron Woods, so he took a few minutes to tell Bucha who again laughed wholeheartedly and said that he was happy to have the humans around and to see Oolo return home.

After his conversation with Bucha, the group then made their way over to the Sealed Grounds to begin their search for Pipit. It didn't take too long before Groose had spotted his Loftwing over by the Goddess Statue and after a moment of excitement on behalf of Link, everyone saw that Pipit was no where to be seen. The group decided to split into three groups: Groose, Strich, and Karane in one group, Zelda, Fledge, and Cawlin in another, and Link in a group by himself. Groose and his group were assigned to look in the general area, Zelda and her group were to look over by Lake Floria, while Link was to look in the Deep Woods. Before they split up, Link gave Zelda his Sacred Bow and Goddess Shield as she was the only unarmed person in the group; all the others had acquired either a sword and shield or a bow from Eagus. With his plain sword and Hylian Shield, Link ventured into the Deep Woods.

He searched the cliffs but found no one, and as he made his way to Skyview Temple he could tell something was wrong; the air was cold and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He unsheathed his sword and cautiously went into the temple. Things were quiet and there were no monsters to be seen, but the dark presence was still nearby, so Link continued onwards to the round room at the end of the temple. The room was empty, so Link walked over to the door across the way that led to the Sky Spring, but he stopped dead in his tracks when the doors behind him closed shut followed by the closing door in front of him. Half expecting some dark-being to emerge from the shadows, Link prepared himself for the worst, but when Pipit appeared in a cloud of smoke he became confused. He slowly walked over to the boy, but was unable to reach him before a loud laughter filled the room,

"Did you really think I was gone child? Or did your amateur attitude blind you from my undeniable presence?" The voice called out from behind him and Link was paralyzed with confusion, "Oh, did you think I could let you go? Even after you destroyed my master, my king?" Link tightened his grip on his sword and turned to face the being to which he was again startled to see Pipit, but Pipit was no longer in control, "Yes that's right child, I've moved on up in this pathetic world of light, and I found this handsome young man all alone calling your name, he was so frightened; I loved the scent of his fear and his body was such a temptation I just had to _take_ it."

"Let him go Ghirahim, or I will force you from him."

"Who's Ghirahim? He sounds like an incredibly attractive Lord that you decimated with your unworthy blade," Pipit's face paused and grinned, "A blade that you no longer possess." The grin turned into a gruesome grin that pierced Link's mind. "When I lent myself to my master once more, I could still feel you're presence, and when you bested him in a battle he cast my frame away, which was something you neglected to deal with. Now I am back, but my physical body could not make the jump between the void we were in and this world, so I jumped into this mediocre body hoping that it could kill you for me."

"I won't let you control him any longer," Link summoned all of his strength and focused his power, wisdom, and courage all at once and tried applying it in a physical form but without success.

"You can't use powers to best me; you possess none," Pipit's hand shot out to his side, and the familiar black sword appeared in it, "However, powers are something I possess lots of."


	15. Pain

There he was, back to the wall, with a sword against his neck; the dark eyes in front of him were full of hatred and excitement. Whether or not Pipit was there or not, Link couldn't let himself be defeated: his eyes darted around the room looking for that pathetic sword that was split into pieces by the might of Link's force. He found the handle nearby, a short, jagged piece of the blade still connected, but how would he get to it; an idea came to him: he smiled slightly as he shoved his knee as hard as he could in between Pipit's legs, earning him a howl of pain as Pipit fell to the floor hunched over. Link bolted to the blade handle and grabbed it; he took the jagged blade and shoved it straight through one of Pipit's hands who immediately screamed. Link looked into his eyes, which were still full of Ghirahim,

"I don't care who you take form of; I will defeat you every single time, haven't you learned that by now?"

"The boy inside… he is in pain…" Ghirahim laughed as he let go of the mind and body of Pipit, leaving just a confused boy with a serious wound.

After taking Pipit to the spring out back, Link had to remove the blade from his hand. Once removed, he rinsed the hand with the sacred water in that one particular spot and he watched as the wound slowly began to heal itself. Soon the skin was smooth, with only a faint scar mark to tell of the encounter.

"Is that better?"

"Much." Pipit looked up at Link, who was kneeling in front of him, mostly hovering over his legs. Pipit brought his legs as together as they would go, so that their legs were completely against each other and so that Link was essentially sitting on Pipit's right leg. "I can't even begin to tell you what that was like; I was there, but I wasn't, and I had to watch_"

"It's okay, I know you couldn't stop him, he's very powerful and_"

"Let's just go home shall we?"

"Right, well a bunch of us came looking for you, and we have to go meet back with them first. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Pipit responded very distantly and absently.


	16. Skin, Hands, Warmth (Explicit Content)

"Pipit!" Zelda was the first to notice the two boys emerging from the deep woods, and everyone rushed over to help the two of them. "What happened?"

"Just a little accident: I told everyone this place is dangerous." Link tried to cover up, knowing that Pipit did not want everyone to know. "Did you guys sent up the tents?"

"We sure did, we weren't sure if Pipit was going to be here for the night, so the two of you are going to have to share." Groose seemed undeniably satisfied that Link and Zelda would not be sleeping together, "I hope you're both fine with that." Both Link and Pipit nodded, and after Link briefly assigned different watches, he helped Pipit into the surprisingly spacious tent as the sky above them began to turn a cool shade of violet and orange.

After a little while in silence, with Link and Pipit lying on opposite sides of the tent, Pipit was the one to break the silence,

"So did everyone resolve their issues or did they keep hitting each other until someone died?"

"If I hadn't used one of my very expensive bombs someone might've gotten seriously hurt: luckily for us Groose is a big guy, and I've grown an appreciation for the fact that his arms are the size of my torso." Pipit didn't say anything, but Link knew that they were both envisioning Groose's very muscular physique. Link imagined what Groose must look like when he works out: the sweat beading down his bare torso, and disappearing beneath a teasingly loose waistband of a pair of white underwear with short legs on them. He imagined Groose doing sit-ups, his package bulging through the underwear. Perhaps Groose would get tired sometimes during his workout, and he would need to release some stress. Link pictured Groose groping himself, his bulge growing larger and larger until part of his shaft and head poked out the top of the waistband.

"Hey Link…" Link came to again, and realized that he had completely spaced out in front of Pipit, and while he was sure Pipit couldn't see it from where he was sitting, but Link was now sporting a major hard on. "We have the tent to ourselves you know…" Link understood what Pipit was insinuating and he took the opportunity. He moved across the tent and pushed Pipit down onto the blankets there and got on top of him.

"What time is my watch?" Pipit asked.

"We have time." Link swiftly closed the gap between their mouths and very dominantly pushed his tongue into Pipit's mouth. Something about the day had made Link extremely confident about his feelings towards Pipit, and he wanted to show that confidence to Pipit. Link grinded his crotch down on Pipit's, earning him a breathless moan. Pipit took his legs and wrapped them around Link's hips and used them to pull Link further down on him. Link's face was now above Pipit's exposed neck and he used this to his advantage: he dove in towards Pipit's soft spot under his jaw: Link wanted to make his mark. As Link kissed up and down and around Pipit's jaw, Pipit had managed to remove both of their shirts. Link could feel all of the warm skin rub against his chest and stomach and he began to lose track of everything.

Skin.

Hands.

Warmth.

Pipit's fingers ran through Link's hair as he kissed down the boy's semi defined stomach. Both of them were craving it, and Link knew what had to happen next, but he wasn't exactly sure how it would go. As he kissed down Pipit's stomach, his hands had been undoing Pipit's pants, and with a small amount of struggling, Link knew he had succeeded when an erection popped upwards just inches away from his mouth. Link's heart was pounding from the excitement, and just as he was prepared to close the gap between his lips and Pipit's hardened member, he felt Pipit pull him up and he decided to obey the command. Their lips met again, but this time Link felt that Pipit was exuding a heavy confidence. Pipit flipped Link onto his back, and within the blink of an eye, Pipit had managed to undo Link's pants, pull them halfway down his thighs, and begin to stroke his ragingly hard penis. With each stroke, their kisses became deeper and stronger until Link knew he had to show Pipit the sensation he was feeling: he scraped his fingers up Pipit's back and down his chest and stomach before he grabbed Pipit's hard dick. They each jerked each other off for what felt like a long time before Pipit swiftly shifted his entire body down on Link: Pipit was now straddling Link's legs around the knee level and he kneeled above Link. Link couldn't help but bite his lip as he looked at the completely naked and smouldering man, with an erection that stood straight up almost reaching his bellybutton. They shared a seductive glance before Pipit bent over and put his face just one inch away from Link's dick. He could feel the quick, warm breath on his sensitive skin, and just as he was about to ask for it, Pipit began to lick the head. The pleasure Link felt right away made him arch his back: nerves were going up and down his spine and he was almost sure that he wasn't actually awake and that this was all a dream. He was sure until he felt Pipit licked down his shaft and playfully bite him. It was pain, but it didn't hurt. Whatever Pipit was doing down there, Link knew he didn't want it to stop. Pipit continued to lick up and down the shaft and around the head until Link took his hand and pushed Pipit's head down onto his cock. He felt himself surrounded by the warm, wet walls of Pipit's mouth and he arched his back even more. Pipit began to move his mouth up and down his cock, and once he got in a rhythm, Pipit increased his speed. Faster and faster he went until Link felt his balls tighten a bit and his shaft throb. He pulled Pipit off of his cock and pushed Pipit backwards. Pipit caught himself and was now sitting, supporting himself with his hands. Link knelt forward and buried his face in between Pipit's legs and Link put the large dick right onto his lips. Without using his tongue, Link rubbed his lips up and down the shaft, letting the scent of it fill his nostrils. It wasn't something you'd smell everyday, but something about that masculine scent put Link on the edge and he couldn't contain himself any longer. He began to fiercely tease Pipit's head with his tongue for a few moments before putting the whole length of Pipit's cock into his mouth. He copied the motion that Pipit had made on him, keeping a very tight grip on the shaft with his lips. He moved his mouth back and forth on Pipit for a while before Pipit began to slowly thrust into Link's mouth. Link didn't notice what Pipit was doing for a while, each of their motions were blending into each others, but when the thrusts became more and more powerful, Link allowed himself to stop his own motion and let Pipit do the work. A few times, Pipit had reached the back of his mouth and he had gagged on it a little, but the idea of choking on Pipit's cock made Link even hornier. He didn't want to take Pipit out of his mouth, but his penis needed some attention, so he used his hands to push Pipit fully on his back, and Link swung his entire body around so that his own dick was now above Pipit's face. The effort immediately paid off as he felt his cock engulfed by Pipit's mouth and the sensations returned. Link did not wait long before thrusting into Pipit's mouth beneath him as Pipit thrust upwards into Link's mouth. They continued like this until both of them knew it was about to come to an end. They detached themselves from each other's dick before Link stood up and grabbed Pipit's entire head and pulled it towards him. Pipit opened his mouth, and looked up at Link, his eyes begging for it. So Link thrust his cock all the way into Pipit's mouth, but Pipit did not gag and so Link fucked his mouth as hard and fast as he could. He could feel his head hit the back of Pipit's throat with each thrust and Link could feel it: with one last thrust, Link pushed his cock to the back of Pipit's mouth before exploding inside him, load after load it seemed like Link would never stop cumming, but of course all good things come to an end. He stood there, penis inside Pipit's mouth for almost an entire minute, before pulling himself out abruptly and kneeling down in front of Pipit. Pipit realized it was his turn and he stood up and began to fuck Link's mouth within a heartbeat. Pipit was relentless on Link, and he pulled Link as far into his crotch as he could but this time Link was expecting it and did not gag. Pipit repeated the motion of taking his cock almost completely out of his mouth, then thrusting inwards as far as he could. He did this a number of times before he grabbed hold of Link's hair and thrust into the back of Link's throat and released an eruption of cum.


	17. Spirit of the Sword

"Alright, I suppose you have a lot to think about," Pipit winked at Link and gestured towards the silhouette of Zelda which was approaching the tent. She peeked her head into the tent and only her head,

"Hey, do you mind if I borrow him for a second?" Zelda was asking Pipit without even looking at Link once, and he wondered if somehow she knew.

"Go for it."

Zelda had taken him through Faron woods right through to the Sealed Temple. She pulled him all the way into the Master Sword chamber and she stopped just a few feet away from the sword. He stared at it for a moment, and he noticed that it didn't look the same as before: the hilt had folded back inwards like it was before Hylia had blessed it.

"I think that it's done."

"What's done?"

"Demise: I think he's gone."

"Well how do we know for sure?"

"We ask her," Zelda tipped her nose for a second towards the back of the room, and that was when Link thought he was dreaming: there, floating across the room towards them, was his companion Fi.

"Master…" Fi spoke in her formal and almost robotic voice, but her voice filled him with so much life. "According to my calculations, the Demon King is now vanquished and will never be capable of returning to this world."

"So, does that mean…" He started to ask, but Zelda answered his question before he could ask it.

"Draw the sword Link."

Link's heart skipped a beat: after all of this, he would still be able to have Fi as a companion and he would never have to worry about another sword breaking in a fight because he would have the one sword that was destined to be his. Maybe this was also partly why Ilysa had wanted him to go to the woods so soon, because his sword was ready to be drawn once more.

He approached the stone one step at a time, until the master sword was but only a few inches from him and he could feel its divine strength surge through his veins. He had only been without it for a few days, but being this close to it now was a feeling of ecstasy and he promised himself once he picked up this sword that he would keep it until he died. He placed his right hand around the hilt and his heart began to race, so he quickly wrapped his left hand around the hilt as well. He held his breath for a moment and thought back to the first time he had ever held the sword in his hands: it was a long time ago it seemed, but it really wasn't that long ago. Zelda had only been missing for a while, and he had just woken up after the tornado. Fi had appeared to him and he had followed her across Skyloft into the Statue of the Goddess. The sword that was now in his hands was the beginning of his entire adventure and it had been the end as Demise was absorbed inside. The same sword would now be the beginning of his next adventure, which was still cloudy at best, but he knew deep inside that the sword would be at his side no matter what. He realized he was still holding his breath and he released the air all at once as he pulled the sword and pointed it skywards. He felt the sword charge and he swung the blade, releasing the energy into the air. It was like being reborn: he was once again whole.

As his spirit beamed with warmth and joyfulness, a cold wind stirred around the temple.


	18. Shattering the Shadow

Ilysa's piercing blue eyes were analysing the mountain from a perch high above the Earth Temple. She knew that the beetle was of a high value to the hero, but she did not understand exactly why he was so keen in finding it. In all reality, she could easily return to the desert and request that another beetle be made by some Robots. However, the hero had fought bravely and had endured enough hardships that if he wanted his original beetle then she was obliged to retrieve it for him.

A glint on a sand slope had caught her attention far west of the Earth temple, and as she descended the mountain a cold wind blew across her neck, sending chills down her spine. Surely this wind was not native to the environment surrounding a volcano. Despite her instinct to cease her search for the beetle and disguise herself from other beings, she continued her descent. She reached the glint in the sand fairly easily, and sure enough she could see part of the beetle sticking out of the sand; the remainder of the beetle clearly submerged in the sand from its fall. She pulled the beetle out of the sand and attached it to her arm, simply because she did not want to drop it again. She dislodged herself from the sand and glided down the sand on her feet with grace and power. At the bottom, she noticed that there were no mogmas around, and that there were very few signs of any life forms present in the area. Just as another cold wind swept past her neck, a dark silhouette appeared before her: the shadow appeared solid, but there were no distinguishable features other than that it was a very slimly built figure. The cold wind continued to blow, and Ilysa began to realise what – rather who – she was looking at.

"Lord Ghirahim, you are not welcome in this land and you have neither master nor army to align yourself with. You may have walked this land as a powerful entity before, but that era has passed. Leave Hylia's land, and shall you never return."

"You pestilent little girl! I am a Lord; you cannot speak to me with such disrespect! Obey my command, or forever face the coldness that is my wrath! You will retrieve the Blade of Evil's Bane before it is blessed by the goddess' pathetic and weak reincarnation and bring it to me!"

"I have no reason to obey or fear you Ghirahim, so swiftly get out of my way. Or perhaps I should remind you of what powers my people possess over the departed." Ilysa watched as the shadowy figure leaped at her, and her hands raised in front of her instinctively, casting a large barrier. The shadow sort of wisped across the face of the barrier before reforming into the humanoid shape a few feet away. He stood there for a minute, and he seemed to grow more and more opaque with every second that passed. He raised his hands as dark jets of magic burst towards her, which she countered with her own surges of light blue magic. As the different blasts of magic collided, they exploded into bright flashes. The onslaught of magic continued for a moment before Ilysa felt a primal power within her stir. Suddenly, her vision reddened with power, and her magic turned from the light blue hue to a deep red. She watched as Ghirahim's now visible expression changed from his usual taunting grimace into a look of fear. Ilysa quickly overpowered him and she sent a sharp surge of energy straight through the area where the crest on his chest would have been. She then held her hand out, and gripped the air, causing the shadow form of Ghirahim to clutch his throat, and he began to gasp. She flung her hand to the side, and he flew off into the side of the mountain. With her other hand, she formed a large sphere of magic as she prepared to finish off the remnants of Ghirahim. She looked into his eyes, which were more opaque than translucent at this point, and they were filled with both hate and pain. Before she could release the magic, he uttered a single phrase,

"Spiritus meus in aeternum vivere ventis, et semen maledictum adcrescit domini mei," and as soon as he finished, Ilysa cast the sphere which flew out at Ghirahim and submerged itself beneath the surface of his chest. After a very brief moment, his figure began to crack, each crack releasing some of the light that was surging through him. As the cracks grew larger, it came to a point where there were more cracks than Ghirahim until finally, he exploded into a cloud of ash.

"I guess you didn't hear me; I said get out of my way," Ilysa taunted the large crater now formed in the side of the mountain.


	19. Two Days Left

"Hey Groose," Link beckoned him from across the clearing, "Look who I've got."

"The sword: that's wicked! You must've just gotten it, right?"

"Yeah, Zelda noticed that it had changed or something and she pulled me out of my tent."

"Oh yeah, before you get all excited about the sword, can I let you in on something?"

"Of course Groose: always."

"If you're going to be our new leader, you might buff up a bit, yeah? I'm just saying, everyone respects you already, but it might help if you could intimidate them without hurling bombs at them, yeah?"

"Well I suppose if anyone could help me with that, it'd be you."

"Why do you think I mentioned it you dope, I want to train with you. You'd learn from me, and you could teach me things."

"Sounds like a deal."

Link had turned in after his conversation the night before, and found that Pipit had shoved their blankets together, and Link quietly cuddled up to him for the night. He woke up in the morning to the sound of tiny birds chirping, and the fabric of the tent was stained with an orange hue from the rising sun. He detached himself from Pipit, who was still deep asleep, and dressed himself before going outside. Fledge was doing some push-ups next to a roaring campfire, which he had presumably started. Fledge lifted his head up when he heard Link walking towards him, and he smiled before pulling himself to his feet.

"Good morning Link! I've got some soup warming up for everyone, and I gathered a bunch of wood from the woods; a bunch of tree limbs had broken off recently I guess, maybe from the flooding? Anyways, there should be a sustainable amount if we keep foraging to either build some stuff or to keep fires going."

"Good call Fledge, I suppose we have to start setting up some shelters today for when people arrive. We've only got two days to get some sort of system going, so I guess we should wake everyone."


	20. Faron's Approval

They all spent the day gathering materials and pitching up temporary tents. Link had designated tasks for everyone: Karane was responsible for gathering enough fresh water and food to keep everyone fed for a few days, while Cawlin and Strich went off with Fledge to collect wood and other building materials. Groose and Pipit started organising the tents and making sure everyone would have a place to sleep, while Zelda and he departed for Faron's Chamber. Link wanted to ensure that the great dragon would be alright with the humans living in her woods, and that she wouldn't flood everything without a fair warning.

"Your gracious lady, I am thrilled to see you alive and well." Faron was seemingly delighted to have Hylia's reincarnation within her midst.

"As am I: I'm afraid things almost went differently." Zelda tried to keep a smile on her face, but a twinge of painful regret was in her expression.

"I do hope we're not interrupting you, but we did come seeking your counsel." Link tried to tread lightly, but he figured that Faron would appreciate his honesty. "You see, now that Demise has been vanquished, the humans of the sky are intending to return to the surface. Since it has been millennia since we called it home, I advised them that Faron Woods would serve as a suitable and safe home, but of course, I would only be comfortable doing so with your approval and blessing."

"I am humbled that you seek my approval, and I am of course obliged to give the humans my blessing. Just see to it that few of them come barging into my chamber, I only allow a select few to do so."

"Of course, I doubt few of them could even get in here, let alone disturb you and the Parella."


	21. Training

"Come on now, with your whole body this time."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Trust me: your tiny little arms aren't going to hurt _me_." Groose was holding up a punching bag, supporting it with his entire torso. "That's what the bag is for, presuming you ever throw a solid one." Groose was antagonising Link, but now it was out of a mutual bond that they had formed over the course of their adventure. Link owed his life and the life of every good-hearted being on the surface to Groose and his ingenious battle strategies. Link felt their old rivalry boil in the pit of his stomach, and he wound up his whole body into the next punch, which landed square in the centre of the picture of a Bokoblin that Groose had pinned to it. "Better: now again, but this time, throw a few."

"We've been at it for hours: can't we take a break?"

"Not until I'm satisfied you could clobber one of these _things_ with your bare hands: again." Link landed a series of punches to the bag, alternating from one hand to the other, from uppercuts to sideswipes, anything to relieve his boiling hatred for the stupid monsters. After a few solid minutes of Link pummelling the punching bag, Groose grunted, signalling for Link to stop. "Much better, I can see your improvement already. You should feel sore in the morning if we did this right, not painful or anything, but sore."

"Good to know, I would've wondered if someone had clobbered _me_ in my sleep otherwise."

"I'm sure your super hero senses would have alerted you if someone tried. You may not be the most muscular person around, but you've got strength in you, probably in your spirit from what I gather. You can use that to deceive an opponent; they'll see you as small and easy to take, but they'd have another thing coming."

"Thanks, I don't get compliments from you very often."

"Not a compliment, just an observation; I don't have the motivation to go out of my way to compliment people. Could you imagine me complimenting people? It's ridiculous that we've come to a time in our lives where you think I'd do such a thing."

"You play tough, but you're a softy: I've seen it. I won't tell anyone, because goddess knows I need a tough right hand man, but I've seen it, so don't pretend anything different; I can call your charade."

"I'm insulted you'd say such things," Groose tossed the bag at Link, who was taken by surprise and knocked to the ground. Groose leaped at him and quickly had Link pinned to the ground, with Groose straddling his legs and pinning his arms somewhere above his head. "Tell me I'm soft again, I dare you." Groose was looking down at Link with a smug grin, and a "that's right" look in his eyes. Link stared upwards at Groose, whose muscles were bulging from underneath a tight, navy blue shirt. Link felt something stir within him, and he quickly searched for a distraction. He decided that antagonising Groose would be harmless enough:

"You're soft."

"Oh, it's going to be like that?" Groose pulled Link's wrists together, holding them both with one of his big hands. His newly freed hand quickly found its place – much to Link's surprise – tickling Link all over his torso. Link burst into a roar of laughter as he squirmed to be free, but Groose was too strong and too persistent for Link to escape. Groose continued to tickle Link until Link's face was red, and tears of laughter slipped down his face. Breathing was getting more and more difficult, and Link couldn't bare it anymore,

"Alright, alright: I take it back." Groose ceased his efforts, but didn't release him.

"Take what back? Say it."

"You're not soft, and you're bloody heavy too. Shove off, will you?" Groose let a smile of victory spread across his face before dismounting Link. "Geez, I might've pulled a muscle laughing." Groose stood up basically over Link and extended his arm; Link took his hand and was pulled to his feet, and was now standing just a few inches from Groose's muscular chest. Link pretended to rub his sides, and turned away casually.

"We'll train again tomorrow, right Link?" Link felt Groose slap his rear, and it felt friendly, but his hand seemed to rest there for just a fraction of a second too long.

"Yeah, same time tomorrow sounds good."


	22. Hesitation

"I think we should do something about the gate of time." Zelda had brought Link back to the temple the next day, early enough in the morning that some of the others hadn't woken up yet. "I don't think it'll be safe for everyone to have it so close, what if someone used it or something."

"What, like on accident: you can't use a gate of time on accident, and even if you did you'd just walk right back through the way you came."

"You're being foolishly stubborn; the gate is no longer necessary for us, having done its course, it's time we shut the thing down."

"I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in trying to reseal it, put the stone back to sleep that is." This last part seemed to go over her head, as she only hummed in response. "I don't want to do anything too suddenly; I worked hard to open this thing, and I'll not have you mucking it up right away."

"Mucking it up?" That had apparently grabbed her attention, "I'll remind you that I am literally of divine heritage and that I know a thing or two about how this works – even if it freaks me out – and I say we destroy it."

"Destroy it?! We can't destroy it: what if we have a need for it again?"

"We won't have a need for it because it's the last one, which means there won't be anyone to travel back in time to rescue: there's no need for it any longer."

"I disagree: it's proved rather useful and it's a part of the temple. If we destroyed it, we would be destroying part of what this temple represents, and I couldn't bare to see that happen; this temple is supposed to serve as a symbol of what we're to achieve as a society, and if that symbol is tarnished I'm afraid that we won't have a common goal to work towards and that the people will… will…"

"Ilysa told you the prophecy then: the one about the _Great Divide_?"

"Yes, she did: I didn't know anyone else knew about it. Did she tell you?"

"No, I think it's in Hylia's memories somewhere."

"But you still think we should destroy the gate?"

"I understand your concern, but that prophecy is not for our lifetime. There will be a divide amongst the people someday, but not today, and it won't happen the way that Ilysa has let on: not that she knows the reality of it. Hylia has certain abilities regarding time, and she foretold of a great divide amongst the _clans_ of surface dwellers."

"A divide amongst the different races is what that would mean, correct?"

"I assume so, but there aren't many ways of knowing. I can recall her memories, sort of, but I can't relive them so to speak; I simply mean that she said those words, "the Great Divide", but she did not experience the memory regarding her prophecy. I think that confusion derives from time travel: even though she had seen what happens in the future, when she comes back to her original time, she cannot have experienced it yet, because it hasn't happened. Maybe her immortal mind could have held all of the memories from across time, but I think now that I am mortal, that my mind isn't as capable as hers would have been in her prime."

"I'm glad you've settled on the pronouns and subjects: it was all very confusing for a little while there."

"Well it seems quite clear now: I am Zelda, only I am aware of my past life as Hylia. Thus, I am Zelda, but I have been Hylia: still confusing, but I know for a fact I am Zelda, just not the same Zelda you grew up with I'm afraid. Things have changed so radically, even since the battle with Demise that I'm beginning to lose track of what's happening to us."

"What do you mean? We're to live on the hill, or were you teasing me?"

"I wasn't teasing; I just thought maybe other options may have presented themselves to you. I'm still serious about it, but only if you are."

Link hesitated before responding, and that was all Zelda needed to know.


	23. Consulting Pipit

"What do you mean, she wants to break the gate? What does that even mean?" Pipit was propped up on his elbow, mostly naked underneath the blankets. "I can't pretend to be an expert with all your adventure stuff but that seems a little drastic considering you nearly died trying to assemble that thing. Did she seem really adamant?"

"Yeah, she was pretty adamant."

"Well maybe she just needs some time to adjust, you know? She has gone through a lot, and no one has had any real time to talk about it with her, maybe she just needs to vent and stuff. Just think, if a knight has a traumatic experience at the academy, they are required to go through therapy sessions with one of the instructors, so that the trauma doesn't bury itself within the person and affect their lives constantly. I think discovering that your whole life was a plot made by an ancient goddess who is also you can be considered traumatic. Not to mention the falling out of the sky thing, running from monsters, being paralysed for thousands of years, being kidnapped, having your soul nearly sucked out of you and finally watching one of your closest friends pass away."

"Well when you tell it like that it kind of makes a point, doesn't it?"

"I'm just saying, you are her best friend. Be her best friend and let her talk it out. Then you can hug it out and we can all move on with our lives."

"Do you think she's right though? Should we destroy the gate?"

"I think there is a lot to be valued from what we can study about it; the Gate of Time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and considering we are responsible for the education of all future generations, I think we should contemplate keeping it around and using it for educational purposes. Imagine the lessons that could be taught…"

"I agree with you, that's why I told her we shouldn't destroy it. Hopefully she comes around and we won't have to fight about it for much longer."

"Speaking of fighting, didn't you promise Groose you'd meet with him for sparring or whatever it is you're actually doing?"

"Yeah, gosh is it already that late? Hopefully he doesn't punch me in the face for being late. You're good here?"

"I've been lying in bed all day, on your orders, you're not allowed to ask if I'm good here. Just come back when you're done and we can make real use of this bed."


	24. Exceeding Expectations

"You're late."

"I'm sorry, I got caught up with Pipit."

"When you say caught up…"

"We were talking about Zelda, actually; what does that mean anyways? You're acting like we'd be doing something."

"Well I mean, you two have spent a notable amount of time together."

"Hardly."

"Anyways, today I thought we'd ditch the bag, and that I'd be your punching bag."

"You want to be a punching bag? Oh if only you'd said that years ago."

"I'm not just going to let you punch me you grasshopper; I'm going to evade you, you idiot."

"Oh, well I guess that's fun too."

Groose had brought them to Skyview Temple, and despite the sinking feeling in his stomach, Link willingly walked into the large round room in front of the spring. They both removed their boots and shirts, and Groose had them both wrap their hands with strips of cloth. Link couldn't help but stare while Groose stretched out his muscles, which bulged without the coverage of a shirt. It was very easy to appreciate Groose's physique; Groose was tall and large, with clearly defined muscles everywhere you looked. His chest was broad and round, his stomach was armoured with six very distinct abs that floated above two very distracting grooves that extended from his hips down beyond the band of his pants: those two lines alone seemed to be of divine creation, let alone the rest of the man's bulging body. Link also noted that Groose was very smooth, and that made sense considering how much effort he put into his hair, so the fact that he would probably wax seemed to go hand-in-hand.

Sparring.

Right.

Focus.

He turned his attention to his own muscles, which he began stretching out one-by-one. He felt the cringe in his sword arm as he stretched out the overworked tissues that had been accustomed to just launching themselves into an onslaught of movements. He grinned at the satisfying sensation that the stretching brought him: if only he could stretch like this before a real fight. He turned back to Groose, who was standing there with his hands clenched in fists, held up in front of his torso. They made eye contact long enough to determine that the other was ready before Link began his approach. He was aware that Groose was strong, but Link knew his advantages in any fight were his speed and agility. Link made a dash straight at Groose, who prepared for a frontal assault, but Link leaped to the side and rolled behind Groose, immediately landing a quick punch to his lower back. Groose, caught unaware, let out a groan and swung his leg out. Link hopped over the leg and jabbed once at Groose's side before Groose spun around and threw a punch that landed square in Link's chest. They both stepped back for a moment to catch their breath before continuing what ended up being over an hour of exchanging jabs and dodging blows. At the end of it all, they both made their way over to Skyview Spring to soak in the healing waters; Link watched as his bruises faded from his skin and the pains subsided. Groose was sitting in the water to his right, which made Link slightly anxious because they were both completely naked. He was so tempted to just turn his head and bask in the glory that was Groose nude, but he used every drop of willpower he had to just look ahead. Eventually, Groose got up and walked over to the raised path where their clothes were. Link let himself savour the view of Groose's round cheeks while it lasted, but didn't let himself stare too long as to avoid any unnecessary tension in his lower extremities. Once Groose was at least partially covered, Link got up and made his way over to the path, rather hastily jumping into his pants. They both started making their way out of the temple in silence, and Link was impressed with how much they communicated with each other without even speaking: it was a nice connection they shared, and it was built off of mutual respect, which was weird because it was Groose. Groose hadn't put on his shirt, but had merely draped it over his shoulder, so when they were climbing the stairs out of the temple, and Link found himself pinned against the wall all-of-a-sudden, he was shocked to feel the bareness of Groose's chest against his hands. Link looked up into Groose's eyes, and his glance was met with a lustful gaze that peaked on heavy breaths. Link watched as Groose licked the corner of his mouth before the gap between their faces shrank more and more until their lips were basically touching. The pounding of his heart was the only thing louder than Groose's breathing.

"What're you_"

"Shh, only let it happen if you want it to happen." That was all Groose said before the gap between their mouths was closed and Link found himself kissing back very lustfully. Out of nowhere, an urge deep within him rose up and seemed to need to claw its way out, and the only way it could do that was by kissing Groose as passionately as he could. Just when Link thought that the lust inside him would split open his mouth, Groose backed up enough so that their mouths were out of reach. Link just stood there, still pinned against the wall, wanting more, but Groose let out a short sigh and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. "Now I know what the hubbub was about."

"What?"

"I get it, why everyone is always chasing after you, whether it be Zelda or Pipit, or the instructors looking for an example student, it's because you always exceed expectations: not just satisfactory."

"Wait so you were just checking? That's it?"

"Yeah, well, I think so. You've left me questioning my sexual desires, and it might be good to check if you can exceed those expectations, but I was just checking."

"Sexual desires? Really? You couldn't just say 'I've always wanted to bone Zelda but now I kind of want to bone you'?"

"Sexual desires seemed more graceful, you know?"

"You're an idiot, now shove off, will you?"


	25. Regular Goddess Stuff

Link and Groose had returned to camp in a similar fashion to how they exited the temple, but this time Groose had actually put on his shirt. The sun must've just set over the horizon, because the orange-pink sky was quickly darkening. Everyone was gathered around the campfire when they got there, except for Zelda, who was sitting over on the observation deck. Link made eye contact with Pipit, tilted his head towards Zelda and furrowed his brow, silently asking Pipit if anything particular had happened. Pipit merely shrugged his shoulders and continued whatever conversation he was having with Fledge.

Link grabbed a bowl of soup before slowly walking over and taking a seat next to Zelda. They both sat in silence, simply watching over the clearing. After a few minutes, Link shifted his attention and just sat there with his eyes aimed on Zelda. She seemed so absorbed within her own thoughts that he was starting to doubt if she even realised that he was sitting next to her. Eventually, he coughed to grab her attention, and he watched as she gently shook her head, as if waking up from a trance. She looked over at him, and he watched as the life seemed to re-enter her eyes; whatever it was she was just thinking about, it was not something pleasant or lighthearted.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Oh you know, just regular goddess stuff."

"Like, say, destroying a gate?"

"Can we not?"

"Not what? Talk about it?"

"Exactly: I don't want to talk about it."

"We are not going to destroy it, end of story."

"Except this isn't the end of the story."


	26. Divine Detonation

The remainder of the Skyloftains were arriving throughout the day, in groups of threes and fours. Karane was dealing with most of the arrivals, showing people her map and pointing out where their tents were. Pretty much everyone was disappointed that they would have to stay in tents for a prolonged period of time, but they were all at least understanding of the situation. Most people, once they had put their belongings in their tents, flocked over to the Sealed Grounds, where the Triforce still stood above the plaza. Link and Zelda remained inside the Sealed Temple, which is where most people had gathered, as if this was the new town hall or something. Zelda stood in front of the Gate of Time, guarding the passage, although she composed herself in a much friendlier way than he had seen her over the last few days. The area around the Tree of Life had turned into the temporary market, as there were now a few stands set up around it, but for the moment it was mostly just food and water. Groose was off with Eagus, Owlan, and Horwell, as he was showing them Skyview Temple, which was to become a much larger Knight Academy, with training areas, and spaces for studying and teaching, as well as plenty of room for their library. Gaepora was out in the Sealed Plaza, as Bucha and the other Kikwi had come to greet the humans. Bucha and Gaepora seemed to get along nicely, and the Kikwi were loving the positive attention from the humans. Everything was going well, and Link was beginning to see a good thing in the making. That was until a knot formed in his stomach, and a shiver went down his spine.

He reached out his mind to Fi, who seemed to agree that something was odd. He stood over by the large doors at the back of the temple, and his eyes darted across the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Just as he was beginning to think it was a false alarm, the temple doors swung open, and a woman resembling Impa marched in, followed by a group of cloaked people. The Skyloftians gasped and huddled towards the edges of the room. Link quickly made his way to the front of the room, but he knew that Zelda was already there, standing before the Gate of Time.

"Move out of the way, girl." The first woman spoke with a strong voice, and Link noted a red teardrop tattoo. "We did not come to harm anyone, we merely came to use the Gate of Time."

"Well you can't, and I'd like to see you try." Zelda stepped down a few steps, as some sort of display of dominance, which seemed to have a small effect on the woman. Link made his way by Zelda's side, with the Master Sword already drawn at his side.

"Naïve girl, I would try and succeed, but I would harm you in the process. That is not my intention, so move."

"If you can harm me, you should be very impressed with yourself." Zelda kept her dominant posture, but Link was questioning her abilities. He leaned in and whispered in her ear,

"I've got your back, but are you sure we can overpower them?"

"I am confident." She whispered back at him.

"I am often impressed with myself, so that shouldn't be a problem. This is your final warning: get out of our way."

Zelda held her right hand out in front of her, and a sphere of blue magic began to form in her palm. It seemed to pulsate with the same speed of Link's heartbeat, and he wondered if her heart was beating the same speed as his. "No." Link pointed the sword above his head, and he was satisfied with the surge of energy that came rushing down the metal of his blade. "Now kindly turn away, and never threaten me again."

"A mortal with magic, how interesting. However," the woman also held out her hand, and a similar sphere of magic formed in her palm, but her sphere seemed to be brighter and larger, "I will not turn away." The entire room fell into silence. Link made eye contact with Gondo, who was over in the corner to his right. Gondo seemed to understand the look, and he began to usher people towards the room in the back of the temple. It didn't take very long for the room to empty, leaving just Zelda, Link, and a small group of Sheikah. Link waited for the inevitable, and finally both women released their magic and a bright, hot explosion of energy erupted where the two spheres collided. Link immediately released a Skyward Strike towards the woman, and he heard a notable grunt and a slam against the ground. When the dust settled, he saw the woman getting up from the ground and the other Sheikah leaning against the wall behind them: the skyward strike must've been more powerful than he was used to. He didn't have long to bask in his new strength, because the woman cast a barrier in front of her, but instead of using it as a shield, she thrust her hands out and the barrier flew out towards Link and Zelda. He was thrown back by the force, and Link had to take a moment before getting up to recover his breath. He got up to realise that Zelda was standing where she was before, having somehow countered the attack. Link made his way to her side, and he could feel an aura emanating from her; it seemed to pulsate like the magic was before, however the rhythm was much slower and steady than before.

"You have disappointed me, High Chieftain of the Sheikah," Zelda's voice was different, and the woman seemed taken aback at being recognised. "I expected more from you, but you were naïve to think that you could enter my temple and cast me aside." Zelda burst into a flurry of white flames, the tongues of fire leaping out wildly. "You will leave this place, or you will be forced out."

"This will not be last time we meet, and with or without your gate, we will uncover the secrets of time travel." The woman and her apparently useless troop of Sheikah turned to the door and stalked away across the plaza, and through the open doors, Link saw them disappear in a flash of light. What tore his attention away from the view of the now empty plaza, was the sight of Zelda collapsing in his peripheral vision.

* * *

Link had brought Zelda all the way to Skyview Spring, accompanied by Groose, Gaepora, and Ilysa, who had just arrived as they entered the temple. He had a hard time allowing Ilysa to come, but she had helped them get this far, and she didn't seem to be a part of whatever group the chieftain was a part of. Ilysa put her hand on Zelda's forehead, as she closed her eyes and seemed to meditate over her. The men stood by her side, awaiting some sort of diagnosis:

"Zelda's consciousness seemed to have been overpowered by the presence of the immortal mind of Hylia. The surge of energy required to allow two minds to exist in one mind at the same time would have been a great deal of energy for Zelda's physical body, and her mind is now simply seeking equilibrium; having used too much energy before, she must now use too little energy. If the goddess' magic is reliable, this can be considered a normal healing process after the event."

"Can you estimate how long she will be unconscious?" Gaepora sounded worried, but he kept a cool demeanor; Link figured that demeanor came from years of hiding his thoughts at the academy from the students.

"Based on the exertion of energy that you described on the way, a couple of hours would be normal. The healing powers of these waters will quicken the process, as it would have normally been around a day or so. She tapped into quite the well of magic today: I could feel it all the way at Eldin Volcano."

"What were you doing there?" Link quirked an eyebrow.

"I was retrieving your Beetle," Ilysa pointed over at a bag by the door, which shifted around before the Beetle flew out of it and onto her wrist where the gauntlet had gone unnoticed by Link. "It was partially buried in one of the many slopes."

"Thank you, you didn't have to do that."

"Please, don't mention it: I'm just glad that we no longer have to worry about it. Perhaps I'll go inform your acquaintance, Pipit; I'm sure he'd like to know that it was found."

* * *

Link had left Gaepora to watch over Zelda until she woke up. Groose had followed him out and they went back to the Sealed Grounds where most of the townsfolk were still confused over what had happened. Link explained to them that the gate was a very powerful magical object, and that other people are interested in its powers. He explained to them that, like the Triforce, it was their duty to protect it and keep it as a part of their growing civilisation. He also told them that Zelda had to rest after fending off the intruders and that she would be perfectly okay, despite his growing anxiety over the accessibility she had to such powerful magic. After trying to convince and reassure the people, he eventually succeeded and he went into the Statue of the Goddess to find some peace and quiet for a little while. Inside, to his surprise, he found Pipit standing in front of the stone tablets.

"Ilysa told me you found the tablets," he pointed at a spot around Eldin Volcano, "Around here is what she said." Pipit turned to face Link, "I guess we were lucky it didn't land in some lava pit, right?"

"Yeah, I guess we were." Link walked over to Pipit and wrapped his arms around his waist. "I guess you don't have to make it up to me, which is a shame because I was kind of looking forward to that."

"Well we still have to celebrate finding it, right? We can looking forward to that."

"Why do we have to look forward to it? We could just celebrate right now."

"We could celebrate right now, right here, or we can go down to the lake and celebrate on the shore. Maybe go for a celebratory swim, followed by a celebratory picnic, and a celebratory massage, and then, if we really want to celebrate," Link felt Pipit's hand grab onto his crotch, "we can just go nuts."

"I like the sound of that." Link leaned in to press their lips together, but before Link got the chance to close the gap, a large metallic ringing buzzed in their ears, followed by the sound of a large explosion. Link looked towards the outdoors, and back to Pipit, who locked eyes with him for a second. For that one second, it was silent and calm, but they both knew that something had happened and they ran out into the plaza. There seemed to be an explosion in the temple, and Link feared that the Sheikah had returned, but as he neared the front entrance, Groose came running out towards him, covered with ash and debris:

"I tried to stop her but I_"

"Groose, what happened?" Pipit had to shout of the sound of chaos and confusion that was running through the plaza, "Is everyone alright?" Groose looked at Link, then to the ground,

"She came in, she was on fire, and then…"

"And then what?!" Pipit shouted, but Link already knew the answer.

"She exploded. When I looked back up, half the room was gone, and all that I could find was this," Groose held out his hand. Link looked at it and the sting hit his eyes; in Groose's hand was one of Zelda's blue gauntlets.


	27. Seven Years of Silence

***** 7 Years Later *****

The orange light of sunrise gleamed through the large window across the room. Link rubbed his eyes before sitting up in bed and tossing the sheets off of him, letting the brisk morning air reach his bare legs. He stood up, readjusted his black boxer briefs, stretched with his hands above his head, and slowly walked over to the window. The forest was still calm and serene like it usually was at this time of morning. He could see the smoke of a few chimneys smoothly rising into the air nearby the Great Tree. He softly smiled to himself before he got ready for his day. After washing himself and putting on some fresh clothes, which were now a pair of white pants, a green shirt, and a blue jacket that had been given to him quite some time ago. He fastened his sword by his belt:

"Good morning Fi," he quietly whispered to the sheathed blade, which earned him a stifled hum from within the sword. He looked back towards the bed and saw that he had managed not to wake up Pipit, so he walked over to the door, opened it, and carefully closed it behind him.

As he walked down across the wooden bridge and made his way down the hillside, he took in a few deep breathes. The fresh forest air filled his lungs and he stopped walking when he exhaled. He was now just outside of the centre of the village, and he took a moment to take it all in. He had done this every morning since the village had been built, and each day that went by was a reminder of success for Link.

It had been seven years since the remainder of Skyloftians had arrived on the surface, and they had managed to finish all of the structures and buildings in about three years. People were tense and sometimes quite harsh during those initial years, but ever since the construction had been completed things had gone quite well. They had managed to build the village around the Great Tree mostly, with a few houses a little further away. Link had built his own house on the hillside by the Diving platform, and he knew that Gaepora had insisted on building his own house much closer to the Sealed Grounds. Eagus was delighted when Link had told him that they would restore Skyview Temple and turn it into the Knight academy, and Link was delighted when Eagus had built wooden bridges over the chasms that led to the temple.

After he was once again awed by what they had accomplished here, Link continued to make his way over to a house located right at the base of the tree, and he casually knocked on the door. He waited a moment before the door swung open and a shirtless Groose stood in the doorway,

"Oh, morning to you bud," Groose stepped to the side a subtly gestured for Link to enter. Groose closed the door behind him and they made there way into a dining room. "I woke up a little later today, so excuse the mess that is – was my breakfast."

"I'm pretty sure I've seen this place worse Groose," Link grinned slightly, "And at least you're wearing pants this time."

"Like it matters; you've seen just about every part there is to see, which is saying something because there's a lot to see," Groose gestured towards all of him, and Link couldn't help but remember the old days when Groose's cockiness was irritating and often antagonistic. Nowadays, it was just humour that they both enjoyed.

"I suppose so," Link scratched the back of his head, and tore his glance away from Groose's bulging body, trying to keep on task. "Anyways, I'm just about ready to head off for the day, so I wanted to make sure you were good to go before I went."

"Don't worry Link, I've got this: get another fresh pot of water for each house, grab some Loftwing feed from Skyloft, and make sure everyone gets along. We've had this routine for a few years now bud, I've got it."

"Yeah I know, I was just checking, but there's one other thing I was going to ask of you: could you find some time today to check on Gaepora? He hasn't really been the same, and I feel like I'm not the guy he wants to see these days."

"No worries, I was going to visit him today anyways."


	28. Alliance

Link had climbed up the Great Tree to one of the highest tree limbs he could reach, before calling his Crimson Loftwing. He heard a motion near the top of the tree where he knew his Loftwing was nesting, and then a moment later it landed near the edge of the limb, and Link made his way over to the magnificent creature.

"Hey pal, did you have a good night?" his Loftwing rubbed his head against Link's hand and made a sound that almost resembled a purring noise. "Well that's good, because we've got quite the day ahead of us: Ilysa said that I should be able to meet with her chieftain today, but that I should probably be prepared to negotiate terms." The Loftwing lowered its head, and Link mounted the bird. Within mere seconds, Link and his Loftwing ascended into the sky, and began their journey to Lanayru Desert.

Link watched as the trees blurred past beneath him, and they eventually became less dense until they were soaring over large prairie like fields. Soon, the fields became sparse and barren as they neared Eldin Province and the familiar landscape of mountains and Lava Rivers were also blurred from his view in the sky. As they neared Lanayru, which appeared to him as an enormous sand coloured horizon with mountains surrounding it on all sides, the humidity in the air dropped and Link eased his Loftwing into a descent. Link and his Loftwing soared over the Lanayru Mines and the Lanayru Gorges and they made a final descent towards the ancient port on the Sand Sea. Link dismounted from his Loftwing, which flew away towards some cliffs, presumably to rest. Link scanned the area, and saw a very large timeshift stone in the centre of the port.

"Alright Fi," Link said over his shoulder. He then drew the Master Sword out of its sheath and pointed it skywards; the sword charged with energy and he released the strike into the stone. As the radius of the time shift zone grew, Fi appeared beside Link. The region around him continued to transform from its baron desert climate to an arid port, full of life. On the opposite side of the stone from Link stood a small group of people; they were each garbed in dark robes, and most of them with their hoods drawn over their heads. A woman stood in front of the small group, and she bore a remarkable resemblance to the young Impa that Link had known: she was tall and slim, her skin was tanned, and her long almost-white hair was pulled back – probably braided – so that it did not obstruct her face in any way. Unlike Impa, this woman's tattoos were red, not white. Along with the group, she walked around the stone to Link, where she formally bowed before him:

"Hero of the Goddess, Saviour to the Surface, I am honoured to meet you once more, however I do not believe we were ever properly introduced: I am Irsia, chieftain of the Sheikah. I presume you are aware of why I agreed to meet with you today?"

"The winds in the Ice Mountains have been unnaturally active lately, yes. I was told that your tribe already investigated and that you'd be willing to share with me what you learned."

"Ah, yes. I did send a small troop of my finest to investigate the mountains, and they returned with some rather disturbing discoveries. But why does the wind fascinate you so much? Surely it is of no concern to your people, who are tucked away deeply in the lands of Faron."

"I was informed you might not be willing to simply tell me what is developing in the mountains, so I brought an incentive for you." Link pulled out a bright orange crystal from his Adventure Pouch and held it in front of Irsia. "Hylia's Stone of Trials: I believe this is something your people are interested in." Irsia looked at the crystal with high intrigue, then after a moment she shifted her red eyes to Link.

"Ilysa must have told you about our interest in Hylia's manipulation of truth then?"

"Yes, but before I exchange this for information on the mountains, please do enlighten me as to how this stone will unlock the secrets of truth for you."

"The stone you hold was forged by Hylia, and could only ever be retrieved by completing her spirit trials. Those trials, in a sense, reveal the truth of one's spirit. We believe that the two stones could unlock a limitless amount of knowledge about truth and how to reveal it."

"I suppose revealing the truth is better than hiding it," Link said.

"Indeed…" Irsia shifted her eyes back to the stone and then to Link a few times before she crossed her arms. "In the mountains, my tribesmen witnessed what they believe was a demonic presence: they spoke of a cold wind and of a shadow that bore the shape of a man. If what they witnessed was indeed truthful and factual, then it would be fair to believe that a new demonic usurper is rising in the mountains."

"Thank you Irsia, for your knowledge. As promised, the Stone of Trials is yours," Link held out the stone to Irsia who hesitantly grabbed it. "Can I also thank you for your friendship and partnership, should this demonic presence gain power? We would make strong allies of each other, and I would prefer to have your people at my side than anywhere else."

"Should the time arise, we will always protect the divine lineage of Hylia."


	29. Half-Human, Half-Sheikah

Ilysa emerged from the forest and made her way across the village. She gave a curt nod to a few villagers who greeted her, but she did not waste a single moment by stopping. She entered the Sealed Grounds from the woods, and saw the temple up ahead. Since the humans had returned, they had built many stairs and bridges throughout the woods so that it was easier to get around. She ascended a set of steps and entered through the side of the temple. Once inside, she looked across the temple towards the enormous tree to see Groose standing before it. Of all the humans, she preferred his company the most; she found him increasingly mature each time she spoke with him, and she felt a physical attraction towards him, which she would deny anytime he teased her for it, despite their numerous nights spent together, and their frequent 'excursions' in the days. She walked over to him, and saw that he was staring at the tree, seemingly lost in its vastness and strength.

"Groose?"

"Hmm, uh, oh. I didn't hear you come in."

"Watching the tree grow are we?"

"I remember a time when this tree never existed, but at the same time it's always been here. Time travel is a confusing concept, and I barely understand why it took us so long to reseal the gate. Maybe if we had done it earlier_"

"If we had done it earlier, none of us would have known how important it was to listen to her. Zelda was right: the gate was dangerous and because no one believed her, she's on the other side of a gate that she sealed over thousands of years ago. She is not dead—she is not here, but she is not dead: don't forget that."

"I just don't know why we couldn't have just smashed it from this side. Every day I ask myself what would have happened if we just blew it up when she mentioned it."

"For all we know, there is a reason she went through. Perhaps she wasn't aware of it, but there's always a reason. For instance, there's a reason I came to see you just now…"

"Oh you need a reason to come see me now? I figured you just couldn't stay away."

"Well that's just it."

"What's just it?"

"Nine months."

"Nine months until what?"

"Groose, I'm carrying your child."


	30. Time Travel Troubles

Link descended from the sky into the courtyard in front of the Sealed Temple. His Loftwing took off towards the Great Tree, and Link threw a weighted bag over his shoulder and went to enter the temple. As he opened the doors he witnessed Groose and Ilysa laughing and shouting happily and he picked her up and gently kissed her stomach. They always did the strangest things, Link thought to himself.

"If you two are done, I've got something."

"Link!" Ilysa shouted, "You're back already? Did everything go okay?"

"It went fine, exceedingly following our expectations though, and Irsia gladly took the stone in return. It seems an evil presence is in fact tainting the Ice Mountains, and that the Sheikah are indeed going to remain our allies, but will do nothing at the moment."

"Well, that's good news, the Sheikah are a strong people, and it was wise for you to seek their alliance." Ilysa took a seat on the stairs that did not lead to the Gate of Time. "But of this evil presence: are we familiar with its evil, or is it possible Demise's curse has begun to take shape already?"

"I've considered a few possibilities, but it would seem likely that we are in fact familiar with it; Groose you remember our friendly little demon lord? I think he's rebuilding power." Before Groose could respond, Ilysa clasped a hand to her mouth, and quickly removed it to blurt something out,

"Ghirahim was dealt with years ago, I swear it." She paused and shook her head a few times, maybe trying to reassure herself. "If he's returned—Link we have to go there, now: if he is able to return to full strength I'm afraid the humans won't be safe on the surface, the Mogmas won't be safe, the Parella, and certainly not the Kikwi."

"We will go, but there's something we have to do first." Link swung the bag on his shoulder in front of him and let it drop slightly, so that Groose and Ilysa could hear the clang of stones inside. "While I was in Lanayru, it dawned on me that we've been looking at this wrong; Zelda isn't stuck in the unreachable past, she's there in a very accessible time that we can simply walk into." Link tipped the bag upside down and let a large timeshift stone roll out, along with various rocks and pebbles.

"Link," Ilysa started, "Zelda exists in the past, theoretically, we can indeed find her and speak with her, but we cannot simply bring her back. The timeshift zones work in incomprehensible ways."

"Correct, but isn't assuring her that we're fine and that we're trying to bring her home better than leaving her alone in the past?" Both Ilysa and Groose remained quiet for a moment, but eventually nodded in agreement to him. "Alright, Groose, should we come across anything… un-fun, strike the stone. There is no point in all of us being at risk." Groose nodded again and unsheathed a large dagger from his belt. Link made eye contact with each of them, before pulling out his sword and striking the stone in one swift movement. Sure enough, the temple began to come to life as it brought them into the past. The temple was clean, quiet, and seemingly empty. "Hello?!" Link shouted into the room, his voice echoing off of the walls. He heard a plate crash in the other room, and the massive doors opened.

"Link!" Zelda shouted and she began to run towards him, but she stopped in her tracks about halfway. "How are you here right now?"

"Timeshift stones! I don't know how I didn't think of it earlier!"

"You can't be here: I destroyed the gate for a reason! No one should be able to just travel through time at their own will!"

"Zelda. It's just a stone, we can't do anything really." Groose quietly said, "We just wanted to make sure you were okay and stuff."

"I'm fine, honestly. I can handle myself. Now you have to go back, and apparently destroy a ton of timeshift stones, otherwise I trapped myself back here for no reason. We all know I can't come back, not without a gate. I knew that when I destroyed it, I knew that before I destroyed it, and you…" she looked right at Link, "…and you knew that I was going to, long before I did." Her breathing was heavy.

"I can't just leave you here forever, not after everything I did to bring you home 7 years ago. I'm not going to just walk away and pretend that it was all for nothing."

"That_" she paused as she searched for the right word, "_mission was set out thousands of years ago to destroy Demise; you accomplished that mission already. Now I have to clean up the mess that Hylia left on the surface: mortals cannot be left with the ability to travel through time, and surely you understand the importance of keeping them safe!"

"I want to know one thing then… before we go." Link walked towards her and stopped with just inches between them, "Why did you do it alone?"

"Why did I do it alone? I did it alone because I couldn't bear to see you choose someone else…"

"I wasn't going to! I was going to live with you on the hillside like you said you wanted. I mean sure, entertaining the idea of having options was nice for a while but it was always going to be you. I mean now, it's been years since you went on this one way trip and I moved into the house on the hill with someone, someone I care about deeply, and perhaps our time ended when you literally shattered time itself, but that doesn't mean I am ever going to give up on trying to bring you home so that you can live what's left of a normal life with your father, your friends, and your world."

"Our time has ended, so unless you figure this all out, I'm going to live out a normal and quiet life here, like Impa did when she was trying to save all of us. If someone who served Hylia could do it, then surely I can do it myself. I'm not sure I can live that long of course, but that's because Impa was better than I am, better than any of us ever will be."

"Alright, fine." Groose spoke again, this time visibly frustrated, "Let's just end it with this: we're glad you're safe, we're all safe too, we're dealing with some surface issues, and we're not giving up on you. If you two are just going to argue while dealing with your own personal morality complexes, I'd rather leave and deal with real problems."

"Surface issues… wait what surface issues? Demise and his demon hoards were defeated, what could possibly remain as an issue?"

"It seems a demonic entity has sought refuge in the Ice Mountains, and that the region is becoming visibly corrupted by its evils. We have reason to suspect that Demon Lord Ghirahim is to blame, but with no further investigation we cannot be certain."

"Oh, yeah, that's one reason I wanted to come see you," Link ran his hand through his hair, "I needed to ask Hylia a question."

"Well I'll do my best to remember whatever it is she knows."

"Ilysa, could you explain the whole sword legend?"

"Of course. My people, the Sheikah, speak of an ancient blade. Its nature seems comparable to the Master Sword that the Hero of the Goddess wields, but it does strike a very unique difference. The Sword of Four is a blade created by the world's creators, and it is said to possess the power of splitting a hero into his four strengths: courage, wisdom, power, and spirit. My people also tell of a great evil that would seek to use this blade in order to ensure his own immortality: by splitting into four, the wielder would in turn split his mind, body, and soul into four, making it respectably more difficult to destroy the entirety of his existence." Ilysa stopped there and looked between Link and Zelda waiting for their responses.

"Ghirahim's body doesn't exist in this realm, only his mind and soul, so how could he even use the sword?" Zelda furrowed her brow, the burden of time beginning to show on her once young and worriless self.

"I think it's possible," Link squeezed his hands into fists that lightly stayed by his sides, "that with time, Ghirahim may have been able to recreate some sort of body. It won't be as pretty as he prefers I'm sure, but it would be enough to use the blade. So that's where Hylia comes in: have you any idea, a whim even, of where a blade like that could be found?"

"I have only one guess: check the region of the Ice Mountains. If Ghirahim sought refuge there, it is for a reason: that excuse of a demon has very specific reasons for going places as I'm sure you already know. But perhaps there isn't anything to worry about: a blade with such powers could be used similarly to how we used to Master Sword: seal the evil inside."

"I will come back for you, I promise." Link kissed her on the forehead, then turned to leave, and he was about to strike the stone when Zelda grabbed his arm,

"Let me: I want to try something." Link nodded at her, and stepped beside Groose and Ilysa.

Zelda grabbed a rapier from a chest in the corner and she stood before the stone once more. "Be careful, all of you." She struck the stone and watched as her friends disappeared, having returned to their proper time. After a moment, Zelda realised that her plan had worked: on the ground in front of her was a fairly large timeshift stone.


	31. Home on the Hill

"So, you decided to go through all of that without me?" Pipit had his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, and his nostrils were flared just enough that Link knew he was angry. "At the very least, did you think about how the hell we defeat spirit Ghirahim if he hasn't found a body? Last I checked we weren't experts on the dead."

"True, but Ilysa and the other Sheikah are: if I can convince them that I truly need their help, they'll help. The only thing is they won't help unless we're sure he's either in a spirit form or physical form."

"How do we test that? Throw a pumpkin at him and see if it passes through his creepy little face?"

"I don't know, and for all I care we just cut him to pieces, no matter what form he's in. Once he's taken care of, we can try and address how to get Zelda back here so that the entire reason I pulled Fi out of the stone wasn't a waste. It was my job to rescue her before, and it's my job to rescue her now; it'll probably always be my job to rescue her in all honesty, considering the amount of trouble she attracts."

"Well, I would suggest that if we're making a trip to the Ice Mountains, we should probably pull out some old gear."

"I was hoping maybe we could go to bed for a while, beforehand."

"It's the middle of the afternoon."

"Then we'll have time before Groose and Ilysa come for dinner."

"I won't have time to do what I want with you and prepare for dinner."

"That's why I picked up some soup from the food stores."

"Those stores are for the village, not us."

"We are part of the village, last I checked anyhow. Just because we're on the hill doesn't mean we aren't right in the centre of it all."

"Well technically and literally it does mean that." Pipit seemed determined to win this battle of wits, but Link had other plans: he closed the gap between them and pressed their lips together rather aggressively.

"Shut up and come to bed.


	32. Ilysa's Impedimenta

Link and Pipit made their way across the village the next morning towards the old temple where Eagus had created a knight academy, an armoury, and a fully stocked library (Owlan and Horwell had a role in that decision) that consisted of all records from Skyloft, and all of the new records that had been made since they arrived. Link had made sure that Groose met them at the Academy, and he wasn't surprised to see that Ilysa was there with him.

"So we're really doing this," Groose started when Link and Pipit came within his range. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before we geared up again, right?"

"Let's just get what we need, and get out of here. This place still gives me the creeps." Pipit shuddered slightly, and Link knew that their encounter with Ghirahim had scarred Pipit deeply.

"Already handled," Ilysa pursed her lips while she paused, "We figured neither of you really wanted to go in there so we grabbed your stuff: Pipit for you I got hold of a chainmail armoured tunic, along with a custom set of knight's boots, the ones you helped design actually, I retrieved your custom-forged bow and fully loaded quiver while Groose grabbed your sword and shield, Groose?"

"Right, so I figured that you still preferred a Goddess Shield and you can pick between a rapier or one of Gondo's Master Blades, inspired by the one and only Master Sword."

"Correct on the buckler, and I'll grab the rapier, let's leave the Master Sword to Link, shall we?" Pipit started getting ready off to the side as Ilysa turned to address Link.

"I'm sure that you know exactly what I've grabbed for you: Beetle, bow and quiver, fully stocked bomb bag, clawshots, mogma mitts, gust bellows, scattershot, and whip, along with a freshly polished Hylian Shield." Link nodded. "Now, as far as tunic, it's almost identical to your original knight's tunic, but with a more advanced chainmail and the boots designed by Pipit, because they're lighter, more durable, and they can withstand a moderate electric charge due to their thin rubber lining; Gondo has been really innovative these last few years." Link grabbed all of his stuff and went to change behind a tree. He wasn't embarrassed to change in front of them, but in an open space like this you never know who's going to show up. Once he was all geared up, and re-emerged from behind the tree to see that both Pipit and Groose were fully equipped. Ilysa had a few things still around her feet that he was sure she wanted them to have.

"Now, I've gone and packed the Adventure Pouches so that you should all be fully equipped no matter what you come across: I had Luv prepare fully upgraded potions, and she filled the bottles to the brim, so you should get at least two servings from each one. I got you each a revitalising potion ++, a guardian potion +, a stamina potion +, and an air potion +, so there really shouldn't be anything you don't have. Oh! I also got you each a fairy, just in case you get caught off guard by something. I also went and had the liberty of getting you each a bottle of glittering spores, because who knows when you might need to stun someone at a given moment."

"I suppose if you're ensuring this is all done now, you aren't coming with us?" Link inferred.

"Correct, I… I am expecting a child." Link and Pipit were quiet for a moment, but Pipit spoke up to end the silence.

"Then it would of course be unwise for you to accompany us, congratulations you two," in which Groose immediately turned red and nodded, apparently embarrassed by the fact that no one needed to tell them it was Groose's child.


	33. Tetrad

Link, Pipit, and Groose had departed as early as they could for the Ice Mountains. Link had asked Ilysa to contact Irsia to request that she meet them at a rendezvous point, but he doubted Irsia would actually show up. However, Link was pleasantly surprised to see that Irsia was waiting for them as they landed their Loftwings. Link sent the Loftwings away, telling them to find shelter and to rest. Irsia briefed them on her most recent scouting of the region, and informed them that over the past few days, monsters and demons have begun to inhabit the mountains, and that the Demon Usurper could be felt in a large radius, in which the Sheikah had pinpointed to an epicentre where it was most likely emanating from.

"I'm sure the monsters won't make our ascent to the peak pleasant, but the peak is definitely where the aura is coming from. He is likely to create barriers, as he did during the Battle of the Sealed Grounds, but we believe that we may have something to overcome that obstacle," Irsia put out her hand in a fist, with the back of her hand facing upwards. She turned her hand over and opened it, and there was a brief flash of light. When Link looked again, he saw that Irsia was levitating an arrow over her hand, but this was no ordinary arrow: this arrow was golden and seemed to emanate a faint golden glow. "Our people have spent many years trying to master these arrows; we call them Light Arrows. They possess enough evil-brandishing magic to puncture any spell, barrier or attack that the Demon Usurper throws at us. We have not yet fully mastered them however, so I was only able to bring three of them." Irsia seemed to think that three would not be enough, but Link smiled to himself.

Three was his lucky number.


	34. Have I Not Exceeded Expectations?

Zelda focused her and powers lifted the heavy timeshift stone, and levitated it across the temple into the back room. She gently let it down in the centre of the room. She left the room and went over to the chest that was now full with some of her belongings that she had brought: a bow, a quiver with some arrows, a rapier, her goddess robes, and a fairy in a bottle. She changed into her white robes and equipped herself with what she had; she hung the bow and quiver over her shoulder, grabbed the rapier in one hand, and stashed the bottle up her other sleeve. She neatly put her Skyloft robes into the chest and returned to the timeshift stone. She stared at it for a moment, pondering if her plan could work, and the anxious feelings she had were vanquished as she swung the rapier at the stone. The room began to transform even further into the past, and she watched as the slightly faded stones of the temple turned into fresh stones and the air became heavier. She looked around to see that the large doors were closed, but that the perimeter of the stone went beyond the room and into the greater part of the temple. She pushed open the doors magically with her free hand, never letting go of her rapier. Past the doors, she saw several creatures standing around a tall woman in white robes. From behind, Zelda could see her long blonde hair, and a large crown adding to her overall height. Most noticeably, Hylia seemed to have large wings, but they were folded by her back and the details were unclear, but they did seem to emit a soft glow. By her sides, Zelda could see a golden harp, and a sword that made an overwhelming resemblance to the Master Sword, but it didn't seem to be quite the same. The creatures around Hylia stopped immediately, and Zelda could distinctly see that the Robots, the Parella, the Mogma, the Gorons, and the Kikwis were all present, although how the Parella were in here was something she'd have to think about another time. Hylia turned to face Zelda, and Zelda quickly realized which part of time she was in. Hylia's skin seemed to glow white, but her skin on her right side of her neck and her right arm was tainted with black veins that appeared very close to the surface; Hylia had just fought Demise and sealed him away, and this is what she appeared like when she had been injured. Hylia observed Zelda, and her eyes seemed to go deeper than the surface. Hylia took a step forward, and after a moment, Zelda slowly walked down the stairs to meet her, but she stopped a few steps from the bottom so that they were the same height.

"I am Zelda, mortal reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia." Hylia furrowed her brow but remained silent. "I have come from the era where Demise has successfully been defeated, and the mission of the Goddess's Hero has been accomplished." Hylia raised her eyebrows this time, but her eyes also squinted a little bit. "The humans of the sky have peacefully returned to the surface and are making all efforts to maintain a unified peace across the land with all creatures and tribes." Hylia's face relaxed, but she still made no effort to speak. She turned to the closest Goron, who immediately held out his stony hand. Hylia ran her fingertips across his hand, and he nodded at her and turned to leave. A small group of Gorons followed him out the doors of the temple into the woods outside. Hylia repeated this process until it was just Zelda and Hylia. Hylia turned to face Zelda again, and she had only just realized that the sword and harp were no longer in Hylia's hands. Hylia stepped forward and lifted up her hand, so Zelda held up her hand like the creatures had done, and Hylia lowered her fingertips onto Zelda's hand. There was a short moment of silence, but then Zelda heard a strong, mystic voice inside her own head,

"I am relieved to know that my efforts have succeeded in your time, it gives me great satisfaction to know that Demise and his demon hoards will not be such a powerful threat. I am aware that both Gates of Time have been destroyed, and you are correct in thinking that those gates could not remain active, as they were so accessible to so many beings. However, one day, a Gate of Time will be necessary for a hero to rid the world of a great evil, and I am afraid I must burden you with one last task."

"You have already taken away my life, my family, and my friends from me; have I not exceeded your expectations yet?"

"I can return you to your own time, and that is where you will lay out the foundation for a new Gate of Time to be created. You need only make it possible for a future generation to create the gate, but you must follow my direct instructions when doing so."


	35. The Final Army

"Careful up ahead, another encampment lies over this ridge," Irsia shouted over her shoulder. Irsia was leading the group, followed by Link, then Pipit, with Groose bringing up the rear. The wind was blowing snow and ice down the slopes and was making it a very non-pleasurable ascent. However, the constant ambushes from groups of bokoblins and moblins was distracting them all from the harsh wind, and Link actually found the fighting refreshing; he hadn't been on a real adventure since they had landed on the surface, none like this at least. Sure enough, just as Irsia had predicted, there was another encampment over the ridge; the four of them looked down into a small vale on the mountain, and it appeared to be the last network of towers and monsters before the peak of the mountain. Link quickly assessed the ridge, and he counted four towers that would need to be taken down, and around 60 bokoblins, maybe 20 moblins, and dozens of other monsters that he was immediately relaying weaknesses about. Irsia took towards the left, as she was going to attack from the opposite side of the ridge, while Groose followed closely behind her: he was going to attack from the West side of the ridge. Pipit kissed him on the cheek before taking off to the right to take his spot on the East side of the ridge. Once they were all in place, Link made a motion with his hands, and pointed towards the towers. Simultaneously, the four warriors drew their bows and knocked an arrow. They each took their aim, and released at the four different towers. Four different bokoblins fell from their perches and the assault on the final camp had begun. As instructed, Pipit and Groose stayed where they were and provided cover while Link and Irsia descended into the vale. Link threw his bow over his shoulder as he drew his sword and shield, and he knew that Irsia was taking out her twin scimitars. Irsia had proven to be one of the finest warriors Link had ever known, and she was already plowing through a crowd of bokoblins. Link parried a swing from a stalfos and began to make work. He heard an arrow go through the head of a nearby lizalfos and Link was definitely glad to have the cover fire. Link heard a bomb go off off towards his left, which was quickly his right, and then his left again as he danced around the monsters swinging his sword in all of the unguarded areas he could find. He blocked one lizalfos with his shield, and he thrust his sword into the chest of a bokoblin, and he kicked another bokoblin in the face as he did a flip and drew his sword out of the bokoblin and landed a blow on the face of the lizalfos.

Link was sure things were going according to plan until another bomb went off and the sound of arrows to his right stopped. He heard a shout,

"I'm out of arrows! I'm coming down!" Link was thankful that it was Groose that had run out of arrows and not Pipit. Link was confident in Pipit's abilities with closed combat, but he was more confident in Groose's skills in closed combat, and Pipit was a better shot than Groose so it seemed to be an okay Plan B. Link bashed an archer in the face with his shield, and snatched the archer's quiver before plunging his sword into its abdomen. Fi hummed in his ear to warn him, and Link turned just in time to dodge a swing from a Stalmaster. Link quickly recollected himself and began the transition of parrying, dodging, and striking, but he soon found himself fighting the Stalmaster and two lizalfos, and he began to doubt his chance of success. The Stalmaster made a swing, which Link blocked with his shield, but the strength of the blow forced Link to the ground. Just as Link was sure his adventure was about to come to an end, he watched as a broad sword pierce through one lizalfos' chest, a rapier through the other, and two scimitars that decapitated the Stalmaster.

"Sorry if we interrupted, but I'd prefer if I took you home in one piece." Pipit wiped some sweat off of his brow and thrust his rapier into the ground, so that it stood on its own. Link looked around the vale; the corpses of dozens of monsters lay on the ground, strewn about across the rocks. He looked back at his friends, and quickly determined that no one was fatally injured, although Groose had blood running down his temple across his jaw and down his neck, Pipit had several cuts on his face and neck, presumably from arrows that he narrowly avoided, and Irsia had a tear in her left sleeve and the surrounding fabric was red with blood. He tried to assess himself, and realized that he had taken very few cuts, but he had been bashed around a lot by the various lizalfos, and he was sure that all of his skin would be black and blue by the end of the day. "I'm going to go collect any arrows I can find." Pipit shared a moment of eye contact with Link before going off to restock.

"If my scouts were correct," Irsia started, "this was the last encampment, and therefore the last line of defence that the Demon Usurper could muster. From here on out, there should only be one enemy left."

"You know what?" Link whispered, mostly to himself, but loud enough for them to hear. "I kind of hope its Ghirahim, because I want to take this sword and plunge it through his decrepit little heart, and watch the last amount of life fade from his twisted eyes."


	36. Mortal Melee

Zelda stepped foot onto a snowy summit. She carried her rapier in her right hand, and she kept her left hand up in front of her chest, palm facing outwards. The cold wind stirred around her and blew ice and snow at her, but she sent a pulse of magic through her hand and she found herself in a small bubble of calm. She watched as the snow and ice hit the edge of her barrier and bounced around it, almost as if it were just a boulder and the snow had other places to be. She made her way to the centre of the summit, taking care to assess her surroundings. She noticed the way the snow and ice seemed to spiral around one small area off towards the edge of the summit on her left. She sent another pulse of magic out of her palm, but this time instead of a barrier, a large jet of flames shot towards the spiral of ice and snow. The spiral seemed to react with a counterattack and a wall of ice formed to block to fire. Once the flames dissipated, the ice wall crumbled into pieces and where there was once a spiral of snow now stood a shadowy figure. It slowly gained its shape in detail until Zelda was staring at Ghirahim; however she noted that his eyes were now a piercing red colour, and his skin seemed darker too. He stood there with his hands limp by his sides, staring back at her from across the summit. The wind around the summit had ceased, and they stood watching each other for a short time. After a moment, he flicked his hands and a strong gust of wind carried shards of snow and ice towards her, so she quickly cast another barrier. She watched as the gust faded, and when the ice stopped flying she let her barrier down to preserve her energy.

A wicked grin slowly formed on his face, but it kept growing until he was baring his teeth. He flicked his hands again, and a jet of dark magic launched towards her. She retaliated with the flames she had casted, and she watched as the two energies collided, sending a shockwave across the summit. As the two struggled to overpower the other, dark clouds formed overhead and the summit became illuminated by flashes of lightning around them. They maintained the stalemate for a moment before they simultaneously ceased their efforts. He stopped again for a moment to observe her, but she kept herself calm and collected. He flicked his hands again and more dark magic rushed towards her, so Zelda decided to try out her final trick; she sent a pulse of magic through her hand and suddenly she found herself being pulled into a vortex and her body was being compressed for a short moment before she reappeared with a bright, green flash on a different part of the summit. This time Ghirahim seemed taken aback and he stopped attacking, and just stood there with his mouth open ever so slightly. He readjusted himself and brought his hands together, and he began to applaud her. Just when she thought he had gone even more insane, he shot his hand out to the side and his scimitar appeared out of thin air. Their battle could not be settled with magic, and so she brought her rapier up and prepared to fight.


	37. Oblivion

The energy of the mountain side had shifted as they made their way up to the peak, and Link felt the wind stirring as they got closer. The wind got colder and stronger until it suddenly just stopped. Everything was calm, but then it got much worse; an overwhelming gust of wind came rushing up the mountain and over the peak. After a moment, the wind faded and things were calm once more:

"Let's get a move on!" Link shouted out to his friends, and they increased their paces. Link kept his eyes towards the peak and he watched as the sky darkened and a storm began to form around the mountain. Cracks of lightning split across the sky and in between the flashes, Link could detect a faint, fiery glow from the mountain summit. That glow too eventually faded, and among the flashes of lightning, he could have sworn that there was a flash of green.

They were just about 20 feet from the summit when the metallic sound of sword fighting filled his ears, so Link drew out his sword and made his final ascent over the mountain side onto the summit. He saw a frenzy of movement, and he could make out the outline of Ghirahim's back from where he stood, and the occasional glimpse of white. He heard Groose, Pipit, and Irsia pull themselves onto the summit and he knew that now was the time to ambush Ghirahim, but he found himself captivated by the duel happening before his eyes. There was a flash of green and the frenzy stopped. Ghirahim looked over his shoulder, and turned abruptly when he caught glimpse of the four warriors. Ghirahim was dressed in dark purple robes, and his eyes were a fierce shade of red. His skin wasn't the clear white it had once been, but it seemed to be tinged with purple. His hair was much darker and longer, flowing in straight locks over his shoulders. On his head was a sort of crown with angular edges, and a round crystal. He waved his hand upwards over his head and brought it down to his side, and Link watched as one of Ghirahim's barriers outlined the edge of the summit. Link was about to launch himself at Ghirahim when he heard the crunching of snow behind him, followed by a faint gasp from Irsia. Link dared not turn away from Ghirahim, but he didn't have to. Zelda had stepped forward from somewhere, and was now standing beside him. She too did not look away from Ghirahim, but Link could not resist looking at her. She was dressed entirely in white, but not in her goddess robes. She was wearing a set of white armour that covered her torso and legs, and a white cape covered her back. She had tall boots that were the same colour as her Loftwing, and he could also see the edge of her blue gauntlets underneath her sleeve. On her head was a sort of crown that protected her forehead, and it had seven distinct points. This was not the Zelda he had grown up with: this was the result of Hylia's memories and powers.

Instead of saying anything, Link nodded to Zelda, and turned back to face Ghirahim; words were not needed to settle this matter. He heard Pipit knock an arrow, and he heard Groose do so shortly after. Irsia stepped forward to stand on the other side of Link. Link lifted the Master Sword and adjusted the Hylian shield in his other hand, while Zelda held up her rapier, and Irsia crossed her scimitars in front of her chest. Ghirahim stared at them through hateful red eyes before another scimitar appeared in his free hand. Irsia circled around the summit until she was off to Ghirahim's side, and Zelda mirrored her, so that Ghirahim was vulnerable from multiple sides. Pipit and Groose moved into position so that they each stood in between Link and the women: Ghirahim would need to be on his A-Game in order to walk away from this one. Link pointed his sword into the air, and he felt the charge of his sword pulse through his hand, but he remained there. He shifted his eyes briefly to make eye contact with Zelda, then Groose, then Pipit, and finally Irsia to ensure that they were all ready. Ghirahim twirled his blades in his hands so that they were pointing at Zelda and Irsia, and Link took this opportunity: he motioned his shield forward, signalling to Pipit and Groose. They each released an arrow on his command, and Link released his skyward strike shortly afterwards; Ghirahim crossed his blades over his chest blocking the two arrows, but he left himself vulnerable to the skyward strike and he was knocked back a few feet. Link recharged his sword and heard to sound of arrows being knocked. They repeated the action, but the timings were different: first Pipit shot, followed very closely by Groose, then very closely by Link. Again, Ghirahim deflected the two arrows but was unable to deflect the skyward strike, and he was knocked back another couple of feet. Ghirahim made a low growling noise and swiftly charged across the summit and clashed swords with Link. He and Link parried each other for a while before Ghirahim was doing his best to deflect four swords at once. Link knew Ghirahim was skilled with his swords, but he would make an error and leave a vulnerable space eventually.

They duelled in this stalemate for quite some time until Ghirahim bellowed in anger, stomping his foot against the snow. A surge of wind tore across the summit and pushed them each against the barrier. Link struggled to free himself, but the wind was just too strong. A flash of green scratched at his eyes, and he looked towards where Zelda had been pinned: she was not there. Instead, she stood a few feet away from Ghirahim surrounded by a translucent, blue, stone-like bubble that reminded him of the orange crystal she had sealed herself in. From within the bubble, a large stream of fire shot towards Ghirahim, who was caught off guard and knocked to the ground: the wind stopped immediately. Zelda kept the flames steady and aimed them where Ghirahim lay on the ground; his screams ripped across the summit for a moment before he disappeared. A moment of silence followed as they each darted their eyes around the summit searching for him, but no one saw him. Just as Link's ears twitched at a faint crunching of snow, he heard a low groan escape Pipit's lips. Link twisted around to see what had happened and just as Pipit entered his line of sight, he watched as a bloodied scimitar retreated from Pipit's chest. Pipit met Link's eyes, his lips parted as if he was still groaning, and a pool of blood dripped over his lip and down his chin. Link watched in shock as Pipit fell to his knees, and fell face down into the snow.

Ghirahim stood tall and proud behind Pipit, with one scimitar held neatly by his leg, and the other still held out as if it were plunged into Pipit's back. A hot, piercing pain filled Link's chest and thickened his blood with hatred and anger. He charged at Ghirahim, who met his sword with his own, and the two began a blurred frenzy of a duel. Link's arm felt like it was getting lighter, and his swings became faster and stronger as Ghirahim seemed to become slower and slower. Link went to strike Ghirahim's arm with such ferocity that when Ghirahim blocked it, one of his scimitars was shattered by the force of the Master Sword. Ghirahim growled and lunged at Link who was beginning to feel the real power of his pain run through his veins. Link blocked the attack with his sword and threw his shield so hard into Ghirahim's face that he was sure something would have broken. Ghirahim made a muffled scream against the shield before kicking Link in the gut, pushing them apart. Ghirahim took his free hand and held it over his broken, bloody nose: a cracking noise could be heard, and when he took his hand away his nose seemed to be alright. Ghirahim opened his mouth to say something but before any noise came out, a blur of gold rushed past Link's head and made its mark in Ghirahim's neck. There was an explosion of golden light as it impacted, and when Link could see clearly again, he saw that Ghirahim was hunched over on the ground. Another flash of gold struck Ghirahim in the back, and another explosion of light shined across the summit. This time Ghirahim lay facing upwards, breathing heavily, and muttering something under his breath. He pulled himself back onto his feet and he wielded his scimitar again. He disappeared from sight, and before Link could shout to Groose, he heard the clinging sound of a bow being sliced, and Groose's shriek of pain. Link darted around to see Groose lying on the ground holding his thigh: Ghirahim had made a nasty incision instead of stabbing him. Ghirahim stood about two feet away from Groose holding the third Light Arrow. He held it with a certain expression of fascination,

"Impressive," he sneered through bared teeth, and he turned to Irsia "but it'll take more than a piece of mortal weaponry to take me from power." He then faced Zelda. "This is MY LAND! I will NOT watch as you pathetic humans spread your unworthy bodies across the kingdom of demons! I _will_ squeeze every drop of your blood onto this mountain until it is BATHED in crimson, and then I _will_ laugh as I feed your foul bodies to the great demons of my master's creation. Once I have obliterated you, I _will_ walk into your village and unleash the infinite hoards of hell unto your people, and I _will_ watch them burn, scream, and_"

"Oh shut up you half wit," Irsia coolly said, Link turned to face her, and she was forming a small sphere of magic above her hand, which was held out in front of her with her fingers curling around the ball of blue light. She raised her eyebrow, "I've grown tired of your poor manners." Irsia tensed her fingers and the sphere flew out and formed separate barriers around Link, Groose, Pipit, and Zelda, and then she seemed to slowly disappear into flames that came from nowhere and slowly covered her figure, "Burn in hell, demon." The flames around her erupted and engulfed the entire summit, and Link could hear Ghirahim's screams of agony as the flames danced around the barrier around him. Flashes of dark magic flew past the barrier, and then flashes of blue joined the chaos of the fire's wrath. Just when things couldn't get worse, Link heard Irsia shout in pain, and in a single moment the flames dispersed and the barriers disappeared. Link gained his bearings and found Ghirahim holding Irsia by the throat, and in his other hand he held his scimitar. He appeared horribly burned by the fire, his skin no longer eerie violet but a sort of charred grey.

"I've always hated your kind, the pathetic dogs you are." Ghirahim plunged the blade through her gut, and she let out a faint, almost whimper. Gusts of wind came from Ghirahim's back and twisted around Irsia: she shut her eyes in pain and spoke as clearly as she could through the winds,

"I am Irsia, chieftain of the Sheikah. May the spirits of the Sheikah serve the goddess' bloodline for eternity, and may the next chieftain find peace with the humans as I have." With her final words, Irsia dropped her head back and vanished into light. Link stepped forward as an instinct to re-challenge Ghirahim, but his foot hit something solid: he looked down by his foot and saw the third Light Arrow. He knew Ghirahim would be distracted with his accomplishment of defeating Irsia, so he only had a moment, but he couldn't be too direct.

"Zelda: my right foot hurts." Link whispered over to her, and he saw her look down to his foot, back up to him, and nod. "Maybe you can take care of it?"

"I can definitely do that, maybe you should take your… _foot_ and put it where I can help."

"I'll take your foot and place it above my throne!" Ghirahim had returned his attention to Link, and he stood there looking at Link with a grimacing expression on his face. "What do you say child, one last duel before I spill your blood in the snow?"

"I sense a decline in Ghirahim's energy." Fi hummed in his ear again, just to comfort him he figured, despite the fact that factual statements weren't usually comforting, he found her lack of emotions calming in this particular instance. He was standing on a mountain top about to face off with his nemesis, who had ripped him from a happy life with Zelda in the sky, almost taken Pipit from him before he had known his true feelings for Pipit, he corrupted the surface which was supposed to be their new, safe home, he took Pipit from him, he injured Groose in a way that he's never seen anyone do before, and he killed the most loyal ally that would probably ever walk the surface; Link knew that this fight would determine if he would send Ghirahim to his death, or he would be reunited with Pipit and Irsia eternally.

Link adjusted the Master Sword in his hand, and re-braced his shield in the other, perhaps for the last time. Ghirahim started to walk towards Link, step by step, and Link mirrored the motion. With each step, they each seemed to gain speed until they were charging at each other.

The almost choreographed dance of their blades commenced immediately and the burning fire within Link's soul ignited a strength he had never known before; this strength didn't come from pain or suffering, adrenaline or fear, it came from acceptance. Link had accepted that this was either going to end in victory or defeat, and both of these options seemed like valid outcomes for him. On one hand, he would slay Ghirahim and he could return to the village with Zelda and Groose, and live out his days teaching the future youth of the Hylians. On the other hand, he would die a hero who had devoted his life to saving others and had died trying to protect them again. He balanced these two options in his head, trying to figure out which one had the most positive benefits versus negative, and he laughed at himself: clearly Fi was rubbing off on him. All of these thoughts warred inside his head as his body fought Ghirahim almost automatically, and Link realized that he wasn't thinking about where to block or strike, his arm merely did it for him. He had truly transformed from a student at the Knight Academy to a full blown soldier. Swing left, block right, jump back, jab towards chest, and parry: it was a long list of moves that had engrained themselves in his mind.

"Now!" Zelda yelled from behind him, and Link roundhouse kicked Ghirahim in the gut before rolling to the side of him. The flash of light indicated to Link that Zelda had hit the mark, and Ghirahim was thrown onto the ground on his back, so Link jumped into the air and sent the Master Sword straight through Ghirahim's chest. He stood there, holding the sword steady and he locked eyes with Ghirahim: he saw the vivid red colour drain slowly, and before all of the life disappeared Ghirahim whispered under his breath,

"Spiritus meus in aeternum vivere ventis, et semen maledictum adcrescit domini mei," and as the final words escaped his mouth, he decayed into a cloud of ash. Link stood there, sword plunged into the ground, staring into the blank space before him. Suddenly, the pain and realisation of what had just happened and who he had just lost swept over him and he fell over to the ground facing the sky above him, which was now beginning to clear. He let himself get lost in the clear blue of the sky, wondering if that is where death leads you; he had lived his whole life in the sky, but he had never wondered if another realm had existed above him, a realm of afterlife. He let himself close his eyes, and he saw Pipit's face all those years ago, standing in his doorway with something troubling him. He remembered how Pipit's eyes had gleamed under the starlight on the volcano, and he tried to think about all of the times they had shared together.

"Link?" Zelda had run over to him, "Link can you hear me?" Link kept his eyes shut, because if he opened them, then he would have to look at Pipit again, but this was the first time he didn't want to see him. "Link you have to get up, we can't stay here: Ghirahim may be gone, but there are still hoards of monsters that are gathering towards the mountain, and we're too weak to fight them. We have to leave." Without opening his eyes, Link sat up,

"Get our Loftwings, and grab…" the words struggled to leave his mouth, "… make sure _everyone_ comes home with us. Groose, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, nothing some potion can't fix." Link let those words go through his mind for a moment, and then he jolted his eyes open.

"Groose you're a genius!" Link ran over to Pipit, and kneeled beside him. He pulled Pipit's head into his lap and shoved his hand in his adventure pouch, seconds later pulling out the bottle with a fairy inside. His hands were shaking and he couldn't open the bottle, so he smashed it open on the edge of his shield. The little pink fairy floated around for a second before spinning around Pipit, and Link watched as the fairy's magic showered down onto Pipit. "Come on, don't leave me yet," Link whispered as softly as he could. Slowly, Link watched as the colour returned to Pipit's face as well as the familiar heat that Link was so accustomed to. Pipit jolted awake, gasping for air: Link embraced him as protectively as he could and started telling him that he was okay.

They would all be okay.


	38. Triumph and Mourning

Link, Zelda, Groose, and Pipit had arrived at the Sealed Grounds after a long flight home. No one really spoke much, but Link was glad that they were going home. Groose seemed anxious to get there, but he just figured that Ilysa would be there with his unborn child, which would make most people anxious. Since only Link, Pipit, and Groose had their Loftwings nearby, Zelda had rode with Link. She had held on to him, but she did so in a way that let him know she was uncomfortable with him, her touch only practical and in no way emotional.

Ilysa had been waiting inside the Sealed Temple, and she had run into Groose's arms before she even saw Zelda walk in. Ilysa was speechless that Zelda was there, and once Ilysa asked how she had returned, Zelda turned away and just stared at the Tree of Life. After a silence, Ilysa insisted that the details weren't important, but what was important was that she was back. Zelda didn't seem convinced.

Link asked Ilysa if she could get Gaepora and bring him, and that's when he saw some of the Zelda he had grown up with return. Ilysa eagerly went to retrieve him, and then Zelda insisted that she mend Groose's leg properly; potions were great, but nothing helped mend an injury like divine magic. While Zelda tended to Groose, Link hugged Pipit from behind, and planted a kiss on the side of his neck. Pipit hummed in response, before Link whispered in his ear:

"I love you Pip."

"I love you too."

"Good, because there's going to be a rough patch with her for a little bit. I need you to keep cool and know that I love you, and that I will stay with you no matter what." Pipit hummed again in response, this time a little more pensively. They remained in this embrace, holding one another until Zelda had finished and, together, they sat Groose on the stairs. Ilysa returned a few minutes later with Gaepora, who was delighted beyond compare. Ever since Zelda had "disappeared", Gaepora had shut himself in his cabin by the Sealed Grounds, where he sat day after day in a depressed and occasionally angry state of mind. Link had tried an uncountable number of times to help Gaepora recover, but eventually Gaepora had blamed Link for Zelda's "disappearance" and Link had ceased his efforts in aiding the man. Link had made sure that Groose checked in on Gaepora every few days for the last several years, and other than the occasional outburst, the only odd occurrence was that he had apparently taken a fascination with a surface bird that Owlan* had called "Owls", presumably in his own name. Gaepora's interest in the birds had become some sort of obsession over the years, and even Gaepora's demeanour and appearance had slowly merged into that of a man-owl blend. Groose and Link had decided to not trouble Gaepora with the details of Zelda's disappearance, so Gaepora had convinced himself that she had been taken, or had run off: his theories changed quite frequently. However, as Link watched father and daughter be reunited once again, he indulged himself in the thought that this was the last time that he would have to save her. Of course he knew it was foolish, but he was allowed to be indulged.

Zelda had gone off to the village with Gaepora, while Groose and Pipit went to the Knight Academy to return their equipment. Link and Ilysa had gone for a walk and they ended up sitting on the edge of the diving platform overlooking Lake Floria. They had silently been grieving Irsia for a while, and Ilysa fiddled with the green sash that was in her hands.

"Irsia had given this to me when I was younger; I had hurt my leg during an expedition and she bandaged me with this. I remember feeling so special that the chieftain had given it to me, and I don't think I've gone anywhere without it since. Even after I had been exiled for disobeying her direct orders, I always carried it because it in some way kept me connected to her. Now though, it feels like it has lost its life, its vitality, as if it had been connecting me with her, but there's no connection to be made anymore. Now it's just a reminder of what we've lost as a tribe, and it no longer connects me with the living, but with the dead."

"You told me once that the Sheikah have rituals to connect with the dead, to guard them even in the next life. Perhaps you have lost the connection because it is her that needs a connection to the living."

"That's… very insightful. When I return to the tribe for the Ritual of New Life, I will try to return this to her, perhaps you are right, perhaps it is her that now needs a connection."

"For the Ritual of New Life, how do you decide who becomes next chieftain?"

"It is based on many things: tribal status, age, relations to other tribes, skills as a warrior, and the likelihood of having a healthy child. It is important for us to bear healthy children, for the first born girl of the chieftain's family is to be named Impa, and the chieftain is to keep having children until Impa is born. If Impa is the first child, then the chieftain can have no more children."

"Well what about you, Ilysa? Are you a considerable choice to be a chieftain?"

"I am not considered experienced enough to be the chieftain of all Sheikah, however I would be eligible to become a chieftain of a smaller tribe amongst our people."

"What do you mean? Do the Sheikah live in various tribes, but all under one chieftain? How does that work?"

"Essentially, all of the Sheikah tribes live independent of one another; however each tribe is under the leadership of the High Chieftain of the Sheikah. The High Chieftain is responsible for all of the tribes, like the Kakariko tribe, the Ikana tribe, and of course, my tribe, the Hylian tribe."

"How are there so many tribes? Are there really that many Sheikah?"

"The land you now call home is vast and seemingly endless. The goddesses, when they made this realm, left many guardians and protectors to watch over each domain. As you know, this domain is guarded by the dragons Faron, Eldin, Lanayru, and the sky-spirit Levias. The domain of Kakariko is said to be protected by Spirits of Light, also with the names Faron, Eldin, Lanaryu, but Ordona instead of Levias. And the third domain, the domain of Ikana, is said to be guarded by four giants."

"Is it true though? Are there really that many protectors of the land?"

"That is what we are told, but I sometimes believe that the domains are more closely intertwined than anyone knows, and I think it may be possible that with all the evil in the world, all of those protectors guard this one meagre portion of the surface. I was Irsia's apprentice for many, many years, and I never once met a member of the other supposed tribes, so I think that may just be a story to keep us in our territory, so to speak. Perhaps, if the unprotected lands are so dangerous, we are always manipulated into never venturing beyond the borders of this domain. There are many theories. I once researched Hylia's abilities of time and space, and it is also possible that all of those guardians exist, but just not in this time. Perhaps the Sheikah are aware of the existence of other timelines without knowing what it is we know."

"You're starting to lose me. I guess all that matters is that whoever becomes chieftain has to be someone I can work with."

"Well, we will know soon enough."


	39. Finding Closure

"Link…"

"I know."

"Maybe you don't know."

"I know what you're going to_"

"How can you?!"

"You've said it before."

"Apparently it didn't sink in."

"Look I'm not going to_"

"Not what? Going to apologize?!"

"You seemed strangely fine with it when_"

"I was never fine with it! You were supposed to destroy that gate!" Zelda stood before him, with her hands clenched in fists and her arms stiff at her sides. They had walked in silence from the village to the Sealed Grounds, and were inside the Statue of the Goddess. "I asked you when things started to settle down that I wanted you to destroy the gate, and you didn't! For goddesses' sake! Everything that you risk to save me but you can't break a stupid gate that has no relevance in our lives! It almost destroyed the world! It almost had me killed!"

"I wanted to… I wanted to seal it, not break it. It helped me defeat Demise is what it did. If I hadn't made that gate, I wouldn't have been able to complete my trials and assemble the Triforce. Sure, it backfired when Ghirahim kidnapped you after I was exhausted beyond compare, but I saved you then. That gate was built for a reason, and it wasn't just to have my sword blessed. There was a greater destiny with that gate, I just know it, but now we'll never be able to preserve that destiny, and some future incarnation of me is going to die because he can't travel through time."

"That's why you didn't break it: to save… yourself?"

"No. Well, yeah, maybe that's why I didn't do it. I don't know. This is all confusing to me; doesn't it confuse you too?"

"It would've if I wasn't Hylia! I am literally two people in one body; don't you think I get confused sometimes?! It's absolutely ridiculous the things I can't distinguish between my life and Hylia's. However, one thing I did know is that the gate of time had to be destroyed."

"You don't know that for sure! Hylia may be part of you, but I'm sure there are parts of her memory that you don't know. We can't possibly know for sure what she had planned for that gate."

"But we can, because I asked her."

"What do you mean you asked her? Did you look in a mirror and reflect on it?"

"First: bad pun. Second: I asked her when I used the timeshift stone _you_ left after visiting me."

"Wait… what? You traveled _further_ back in time?"

"Yes. That's how I came back: Hylia sent me."

"…"

"Look, when I used the stone, it brought me back to the moment right after the battle with Demise. Hylia was in the temple, injured, with a bunch of the races from the surface. She seemed to tell them something, and then she asked me to do something for her. She told me that the two existing gates did need to be destroyed, but that I needed to make it possible for a future generation to make a new gate. So, your instinct was right, but you should've listened to me."

"Wait, Hylia wants you to make a new gate?"

"Not exactly, she just wants me to leave the instructions and the materials and seal them until the time is right."

"What materials? How in Din's fire is someone supposed to make a gate?"

"I couldn't tell you, she told me, but she told the part of me that isn't me."

"So she told herself how to make the new gate, is what you're saying."

"Yeah… I think."

"Well that's bloody confusing, and unnecessarily difficult for an immortal being that can travel through time."


	40. Epilogue (w Author's Notes)

My name is Impa. I am the daughter of Ilysa, former chieftain of the Sheikah. I was the first mixed race being between the Sheikah and the humans, and I served as an ambassador between the two for many years. Before my time, the Hero of the Goddess, Link, and the mortal reincarnation of Hylia, Zelda, had fulfilled their destinies and defeated the Demon King, Demise. They have worked together for many years, building a strong future for the humans, and they paved the way for peace for many generations to come. Under Hylia's request, they put into motion a scheme that will allow a future generation of humans to build a new gate of time, which is to serve its purpose as the doorway between this realm and a realm that has existed far from the reaches of evil. The Triforce has been dissembled, and is now imbedded within the Spirit of the Hero, and the Blood of the Goddess. The third piece, the Triforce of Power was shattered into fragments and spread across the known land. The secret of the Sword of Four was never revealed, however if one pays close attention on a clear day at Snowpeak, a strange wind can still be felt.

The humans spread in number over the years, and have now colonized in Faron Province and Eldin Province. The two colonies decided to follow a hierarchy similar to the Sheikah, and they both preside under the growing City of Hyrule. Hyrule was formed two years after my birth, and it signified the official alliance between all races in the known regions. It is a growing city where humans, Gorons, Mogmas, Robots, Kikwis, and Parella can all live together harmoniously. New races have begun to emerge. Under Faron's blessing, some of the Parella have quickly evolved into a new race, one that seems to be a mix of human and Parella. They have become the Zora tribe. Like the Parella, Faron also granted the Kikwis with an evolution, where they have become a tribe of forest children, who will last eternally in her domain. They are the Kokiri tribe.

As time goes on, more and more humans mate with Sheikah, and the pure bloodline of the Sheikah diminishes. The Sheikah Elders were formed once my mother was made chieftain, and it consists of the Sheikah's most elite leaders and warriors. They have declared that the diminishment of the Sheikah tribe is destiny, and that the Sheikah will continue to serve Hylia. Supposedly, our people are setting the blocks for the infinity of future generations to take part in the struggle against Demise's powerful curse. While it is still unclear whether or not our tribes exist simultaneously, or if our tribes exist in the different dimensions of time, one thing is clear: there is foreshadowing of the creation of a powerful magic that can be used to divide the mortals of the realm. In order for such a magic to be usable by us or any other who happen upon it, our academic leaders have begun to focus on the use of masks…

My father was devastated when my mother died, and he sought solitude in the desert to mourn, but has never returned or been heard from since. He is not presumed to be dead, for his Loftwing remained in Faron Woods and still let's on that Groose is alive and well enough: the connection between some Loftwings and their owners is remarkable. However, my father's generation was the last generation to be paired with Loftwings, and the sky has become a far away place that is no longer visited frequently. A few of the smaller islands have come crashing down over the years, falling into uninhabited areas, left to be discovered as ancient ruins in the far future, but thankfully the vastness of Skyloft has remained afloat, and will remain afloat for the ages.

Only last month, a group of selected individuals was brought together, and the Hero's many items and weapons were sealed away into the lands many temples. These individuals were each taught a melody to teach their children, and their children are to teach their children these melodies. Zelda is said to have laid out the path for these melodies to become vital in several future generations, and she says that Hylia has given us the means to bend space and time if we use these melodies properly. The Sheikah refer to these people as sages, and these songs may give the future generations a fighting chance to defeat the evils of Demise's curse.

The _Prophecy of the Great Divide_ is still looming over the growing success of the Hylian kingdom, and it will come to pass someday. My belief is that the _Great Divide_ will split the humans and the Sheikah from one another as the pure blooded Sheikah attempt to save our race from extinction. Perhaps it will happen in a different context, but it is clear that in the future, the population of the Sheikah tribes will dwindle to almost nothing, and it is because we have allowed the humans to rejoin us on the surface peacefully; all in an effort to preserve the bloodline of Hylia…

For now the land exists in peace, but there will always be a new battle over the horizon: that is the nature of the world. Evil will emerge from the darkest depths of the realm, and light will appear only when things seem darkest. It is the balance of power, wisdom, and courage. The day will soon come upon us when both the hero and the goddess' reincarnation pass from this world, and their destinies will be put into the hands of fate. When that day comes, we must preserve their legends, and tell their stories for as many generations as we can: this will be The Legend of Zelda.

* * *

Notes:

-This fanfiction is a creation of mine and obviously does not represent the ideas of Nintendo in any direct way, although I did try to do a convincing job of how Skyward Sword links everything together.

-The chapter structure is fairly broken up, and that is a result of me writing a couple hundred words, and then leaving for a while, then coming back. Some chapters are longer than others, and some are rather short, but I decided not the merge those sections because I wrote them in separate sittings therefore they are separate ideas and belong as individual chapters.

-Other than research I have done over the course of my life, my knowledge of the Zelda universe is fairly limited. I have only played _Ocarina of Time_ (not all of it, although I know almost everything that happens), _Majora's Mask_ , _Windwaker_ , _Four Swords Adventures_ , _Twilight Princess_ , and _Skyward Sword_. Therefore I'm mostly linking the story to those games, because I can't really link it to the other numerous games in the franchise. Although I really wanted to make a connection to Veran because she sounds badass, but ultimately I had a strong enough antagonist with Ghirahim and his hordes of monsters.

-There are a few references to the events of _Ocarina of Time_ : the creation of a new Gate of Time and Temple of Time, as well as the Sages and their musical melodies. The Sages are also connected to _Wind Waker_ in that regard.

-Groose is supposed to be the "prime Gerudo" in this story; he goes off to the desert to make his own life away from the place where he lost his wife. His descendants will include Nabooru, and yes, Ganondorf. By having Ganondorf as an incarnation of Groose, Demise's curse really hits hard as Zelda and Link have to fight their best friend for eternity. Yikes.

-The Loftwings becoming sentient enough to support the magic of Hylia's magic is my way of saying they evolve to become the Oocoo people from _Twilight Princess_. While they are sentient enough, they do have to stabilise the floating city with their new technologies, as well as having to create new ways for humans to reach the City in the Sky because there are no longer Loftwings to catch people after being launched up by Bird Statues

-My interpretation of how Impa is continuously named Impa was pretty unoriginal, but hey, do what you gotta do right? I guess Zelda would follow that structure too, and while Link is commonly known as Link, you can pretty much always change his name in the newer games.

-Ghirahim. Wow. So. I tried really hard to be blunt about it, so if you didn't get it, I wanted Ghirahim to become Vaati in the everlasting tangle of Demise's curse. He becomes slightly deformed from his original form as a result of jumping from the void where Link fights Demise, and his magical powers are stronger as a result of not having a physical body for so long. Purple skin. Angular crown. I mean really, just google what the humanoid version of Vaati looks like and that's your guy.

-It was really important for me that Zelda and Link didn't end up together. Because, Link and Zelda are eternally connected, so imagine if each time their incarnations met up, they mated. It would become incest in a way, wouldn't it? I dunno. Plus, Link and Pipit are kind of hot together. Also sorry for the random explicit chapters, I understand this is mostly plot, but I wanted to spice it up a little.

-Gaepora = Kaepora Gaebora (or whatever his name is, I forget how to spell it). Owl man who is vitally connected to Link and Zelda while also being wise and having close ties to the Triforce (his cabin was at the Sealed Grounds for those 7 years, watching over it) as well as he would've become a sage, probably taking off towards whichever temple would become the new temple of time, because he had a personal issue with time travel. He lost his daughter for 7 years because of time travel, so you can't blame the guy.

-My idea with the Sheikah, is that they exist in different times. Check Hyrule Historia, the events of the games happen in a chronological order, where the timeline eventually splits. Thus, the only explanation as to how all these guardians and lands exist, is because they don't exist at the same time. The Hylian tribe is the main tribe that goes to war against Hyrule, and their remnants are seen in _Ocarina of Time_. The Kakariko tribe, mostly just Impaz when you get to gameplay, are the tribes that exist in the lands of _Twilight Princess_ before the events of the game. That tribe creates the Fused Shadow, having hunted the Triforce in their time, and are widely theorised to have become the Twili. The Ikana tribe, would exist where Termina is, and that tribe is responsible for the creation of _Majora's Mask_ , Majora being an antagonist to the "Fierce Deity". My belief is that Termina is a parallel dimension, not like Lorule though. So Fierce Deity would be their version of Hylia really. My belief. Run with it if you'd like. Also the whole Sheikah and the truth thing, again, I thought that was clever to bring that in, as well as their connection to the afterlife.

-I liked the fact that some Parella became Zora, and some Kikwi became Kokiri, because that meant that there were more races, and those races could branch out and create the world of Hyrule we have come to know.

-I really wanted to connect somehow to Valoo and Jabun from _Windwaker_ , or at least Lord Jabu Jabu from _Ocarina of Time_ , or maybe the random giant Turtle from _Majora's Mask_ , but this became really long really fast and I started to lose a sense of what to do plot wise.

-I think it's also important to realise that Eldin Volcano isn't necessarily Death Volcano according to Nintendo, but let's face it, I tried my absolute best to make that thing deadly in this fic, so I was trying to make that a thing.

-When the City of Hyrule gets created, the humans would leave Faron Woods, leaving a bunch of Kokiri next to this fabulous tree with a bunch of huts and stuff. C'mon. I basically wrote the transition for Nintendo.

-Faron was my favourite ally in _Skyward Sword_ , and she really showed that she could put people in their place, much more so than Eldin or Lanayru, so yeah, she magically helps people evolve. Deal with it.

-Also, I really have no idea why I brought in the Four Sword into this, I guess just to Link Vaati with it, because of _Four Swords Adventures_. I never played Minish Cap so Four Swords is the only place I know Vaati from.


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